


All Is Fair In Love & War

by Stargazer_Lily_1996



Category: Beetlejuice (1988), Beetlejuice (TV 1989), Beetlejuice - All Media Types, Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, angst with happy ending, beetlebabe, beetlebabes, musical babes, musical beetlebabe, musical beetlebabes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:53:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargazer_Lily_1996/pseuds/Stargazer_Lily_1996
Summary: “Beetlejuice and Lydia need to consummate their marriage.” Juno didn’t even need to look at the family to know that the dread had already crashed down in on them. “In order for Lydia Deetz and Charles Deetz to be fully pardoned of their crime, for trespassing to the Neitherworld.”UPDATE: Currently on hiatus.
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz, Beetlejuice/Lydia Deetz, Charles Deetz/Delia Deetz
Comments: 57
Kudos: 177





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Please read! It is essential to the story.
> 
> 1\. World is mixed-media (so that being said I'll be taking aspects from the Movie, Cartoon and Musical)  
> 2\. Beetlejuice here will not be related to Juno
> 
> For now that's all you need to know. Maybe in the future I'll be adding on to that list (or not), depends on how well this story goes. So anyway – again I am no where near being a professional, and I have never written anything mature/explicit rated, please bare with me.
> 
> Anyway, on with the story! Enjoy!

It was late in the sleepy town of Peaceful Pines. The moon was high up in the sky beaming softly at its residence as they slept quietly into the night.

There was one person though who wasn’t asleep. 

Lydia sat by her window looking out at the dark hills that stretched over the horizon. The trees were swaying lazily in the midnight summer breeze, seemingly tranquil and calm. But the peaceful evening did nothing to help the storm that was raging inside her. 

It had been 4 years since that eventful day at the Maitland-Deetz household.

4 years since she met Adam and Barbara. 4 years since she met ‘him’. 4 years since the forced marriage, and 4 years since she technically killed someone to save her family.

The girl looked up at the sky and sighed. 

4 years since she met the one person who truly understood her. 4 years since he saved her and her family from the clutches of death itself. What would’ve it been like if he had stayed? 

It wasn’t an unfamiliar question to the goth beauty. She had pondered and fantasized about it every day since he left.

The summer after the move she was enrolled into her new school, _“Miss Shanon’s School for Girls”_. It was going to be her last year this year. She was turning 18 in just a few months, and after graduation next spring she would be a fully fledged young adult. Honestly she should be excited. Her parents had brought her in to visit many colleges over the course of the summer, and all the art majors she came across sparked an excitement deep inside her. Lydia was grateful to have an amazing and supportive family — but, amazing and supportive didn’t mean they understood her.

She would always catch their confused looks when she would show off her newest pictures of rotting gravestones, and the nervousness when she would bring up anything to do with the paranormal. The young woman scoffed at the memory.

It was like any other day in her house when she asked her ghostly god-parents about death and the afterlife. It was all a blur to her when she went in years ago, but from what she could remember there was a sense of government (with all those rules). It had piqued her interest to know more about the Neitherworld, and to that she had been told not to dabble on things beyond her understanding.

“It’s dangerous.” Adam had told her that day.

“Honey, why would you need to know anyway?” Barbara was sitting next to her with her hand firmly clasping Lydia’s paler one’s. 

The girl had shrugged then. “Just curious about it, I guess.” 

After a few more exchanges and useless warnings they had let her go about her day. Still, that never really satisfied Lydia. So she did what any other person would do when they needed to learn about something — she researched. 

After school she would stay back at the library and dig up as many books about the afterlife as she could. And when she ran out of books she researched on the internet. Unfortunately things spiraled down from there, everything was contradicting the other. Since no one alive had ever been into the Neitherworld, no one could suffice the information she needed. Bits and pieces were there though that held some sort of resemblance to the world she had visited briefly, but other than that it was all lose information. So she did the next best thing — which was to borrow the _Book for the Recently Deceased._ Lydia had snuck up the attic one evening and softly crept to the night stand that they had brought in for the Maitlands. She knew Barbara would keep the book in the bedside table. Using her god-parents fingers, she managed to flip the book open without waking them up.

That book was devoured by her that summer. She had read and reread from cover to cover. It was fascinating to say the least. But now she was out of things to do.

Years went by after that, and the longer time went by the more she itched to see the place again for herself. Call her strange and unusual because that was exactly what she was.

And that brought her back to why she was up in the first place. Looking down she found the object of all her troubles. 

The ring adorned with silver skulls and roses gleamed under the pale light of the moon.

The skulls had carefully placed black diamonds for eyes and the roses were coated with a matte silver varnish. In the middle held by the two tiny skulls was a good sized deep red diamond — the rarest, most valuable and most expensive of all the gems in the world. Even her family couldn’t deny the beauty of the ring that rested comfortably on her ring finger. Why hasn’t she taken it off since the marriage one might wonder, well, the truth was that she had — multiple times in fact.

But no matter how she did it, or what technique she used, it wouldn’t come off. 

She had cursed his name that night when she found out.

As time went by though, her feelings for it had changed. Lydia had grown to like the ring, even if it reminded her of memories she’d rather put to rest. And as more time passed the more curious she got about everything it stood for. Her marriage to a dead man, the Neitherworld, her understanding of the whole concept of life and death.

The more curious she became, the more the urge to call him back returned to her. When she researched all those years ago she had to stomp down her temptation leaving her frustrated to no end.

Little did she know all of that was about to change on that faithful day. Her 18th birthday. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Please leave a kudos if you did, and maybe spare a minute or two to post a comment – I swear it really does make a difference to us authors when you do. Comments help encourage us to keep creating because it makes us feel less invisible (yes I'm quoting the musical). 
> 
> Anyway, please stay tuned for the next part - because things are about to get more complicated!
> 
> Until next time!


	2. Juno Comes To Visit

The Deetz and Maitlands household wasn’t very lively ironically since there were five people living in the house. A regular day would consist of Adam working on his home-models, Barbara cleaning, Delia painting and watering the plants, and Charles reading the news and sending out work-related emails.

Usually that would mean Lydia would be left alone to do what she pleased, which wasn’t really a problem for the girl. She preferred to be left alone to do her own thing — like taking walks in the forest, and capturing the weird and abnormal. She had dedicated a wall in her room solely for her pictures. They ranged all the way from eerily beautiful landscapes of fog covered forests to beetles and other bugs. Lydia had a knack for those.

Today wasn’t like any ordinary day though. The calendar all over the house read October 30th — Lydia’s birthday.

She had begged her stepmother not to hold any extravagant party. The last thing she wanted was to be forced to mingle with her other relatives. Delia of course was adamant but Charles put his foot down.

“If you want a small party then so it shall be Pumpkin.” He gave her a side hug and squeezed her shoulders. 

Lydia sighed in relief. “Thanks Dad.” She said, hugging him back.

Delia folded her arms and pouted. “But a girls 18th birthday is so important. It marks her has a woman!” 

Lydia laughed and went to hug her stepmother. “I appreciate the gesture but — I really don’t think I need it. I promise though, you’re free to plan my graduation party.” 

With that the red headed woman squealed and hugged her stepdaughter back. “Alright honey. But we will still have a party for your birthday.”

And so Lydia woke up that day to the sound of party horns and a confetti canon. She was less than amused but the happy faces of her parents and god-parents made a smile work its way onto her lips.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” 

The cake looked delicious. It was Black Forest with 18 bright red candles perfectly placed around the circumference.

“Oh! Don’t forget to make a wish.” Adam reminded.

Her father had snatched a camera and focused on the girl.

Closing her eyes, Lydia didn’t know what to wish for. She had everything she ever wanted, well... almost everything.

She blew out the candles and a flash from the camera went off. She was officially an adult.

The little family erupted in cheers. For breakfast they had tall stacks of pancakes, curtesy of Barbara (because everyone knew that Delia’s cooking would send you straight to the Neitherworld), dripping with syrup and melted butter. Lydia took her time with her food and looked around at all the smiling faces of her _family._

Family – who would have thought a father, a stepmom and two ghostly god-parents would be the epitome of family for her. If anyone had told her this 4 years ago she would’ve laughed it off and called them nuts. Turns out nuts was exactly what she needed.

Her stepmother smothered her in positive vibes – she could always count on her to make anything seem positive. One time Lydia had spent all of her Christmas money on camera film, even though she had stacks of it back at home. She just repeated in her head what Delia had told her; _“At least it’s not drugs. It could be drugs, but it’s not.”_

Charles kept his promise and talked about Emily more often when they were alone in his office. They’d go through album after album, and recall memorable moments of their time with her. No one could replace her mom, and Charles knew that. He admitted to it himself one time during a quiet and somber evening after dinner. The whole family was huddled around the fireplace and Lydia was fondly looking at a picture scrap-book her mother made of their little family. Delia also knew there was no way she could fill in Emily’s shoes – but she gave everything she had to the family. Staying true and loyal to Charles, and being the mother Lydia needed. The pair couldn’t have asked for a better person in their life. 

Lydia wouldn’t say it out loud, but she was glad that Delia decided to stay, even after the whole haunted fiasco. 

The Maitland’s were another story. They weren’t there as long as Delia was but their relationship with the Deetz only grew as they got to know them. Barbara and Adam were creatures of habit, as Lydia realised not too long after getting to know them. There were a few handful of times they would deviate from their regular tasks, but they’d go back to it eventually. Barbara and Adam picked up different hobbies when everything started to settle, and they defended their unusual new hobby with the fact that they were dead now and got nothing to loose.

Lydia took all of that in as she watched them bicker across the table from her. She was happy. And nothing could change that –

Except when their unwanted visitors made an appearance that night.

* * *

“This one is from your grandparents.” Delia handed her a brightly wrapped box with the birthday girl’s name scrawled out in a scripted handwriting.

She opened the box and pulled out black knitted gloves with a matching black and white scarf and beanie. Lydia broke into a grin as she looked up at her parents. “Granny and Gramps always know exactly what to get me.” They laughed and her dad continued the recording.

The next present were from her aunts and uncles. It consisted of colourful stationery and binders. “For college.” Delia said, as she picked up a purple binder from the pile. “Cute and practical.” 

“Here you go Pumpkin.” Her dad passed a small red box to her. “From Delia and I.”

Lydia gingerly accepted the box and opened it. It was a beautiful silver locket with intricate floral designs etched into it. It was no bigger than an inch. 

“Wow.” She breathed out. Carefully she picked it up and clicked it open. “Empty?” She looked at her dad for an explanation. 

Delia put her hand on Lydia’s gently. “Fill it with the most memorable thing dear. It could be a picture, or a tiny note to yourself.”

The birthday girl got up and hugged her stepmother. “Thank you.”

“We’re next!” Adam announced excitedly. He pulled up a present that was perfectly wrapped in parchment paper.

Inside was a scrap-book made with recycled papers and bound together with twine. It had a rustic yet charming look to it. 

“We thought you’d like to add your pictures into an album.” Barbara said.

“You know, I was just thinking about making one of these.” Lydia laughed at the irony. “This is perfect you guys.” She hugged them and felt their ghostly-electrical charge buzz through her.

Touching a ghost was weird but not unpleasant. As Lydia found out, their physical forms are only as strong as they want them to be. Since they could potentially walk through walls, it takes a considerable amount of energy to be tangible. Although through the years they’ve gotten quite better at it.

Barbara and Adam hugged her back and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“Well, I guess all that’s left now is to cut the cake!” Delia clapped. “It’s been a long day –“

Just then the room started to rumble and the fire from the fireplace went out. Charles immediately got up and pulled both Delia and Lydia away from it, and stumbled down next to the couch. Barbara and Adam floated up and went beside them. 

“It’s about to get even longer.” A voice spoke from behind the fireplace. It started to elongate itself and turn into something resembling a door. A green light shone through its cracks and for a moment the family held their breaths – hoping it was not who they thought it was.

But it was.

The door flew open and Juno walked out in her polished shoes and perfectly tailored suit. Her hair was done differently though, the grey locks now styled into a short bob with the curls tightly pinned in place. She looked like something straight from the 60’s. 

“Juno!” The ghosts got up and took a defensive stance.

The old woman rolled her eyes held a hand. “I am not here to fight.”

Behind her another figure took form. Lydia felt her stomach drop. She unconsciously rubbed the ring on her left finger as it grew warm and zapped an odd energy through her. 

“I am here to get some work done.” Juno said with an air of authority to her voice. 

“Hey guys.” Beetlejuice took a step forward and stopped just a few inches behind Juno. His eyes went straight to Lydia and the ring she was wearing. 

The family could only stare.

* * *

After they managed to gather back their bearings, and after a few heated exchanges – they were all seated on the dining table. Charles and Adam took the seats of honour as the women protectively sat beside Lydia, neither of the adults taking their eyes off their new guests. 

Juno and Beetlejuice took their seats across from the women.

“What do you want?” Charles spoke up first. 

Juno sighed and pushed an envelope to the middle of the table. Delia hesitated but took the file and handed it to her husband. 

“And these are…” Charles looked up with an inquisitive brow.

“Case files.” Beetlejuice told him. It was the first thing he had said after his greeting. He kept his eyes trained on the papers as he felt Lydia boring holes into his skull with her stares.

“Care to elaborate?” Delia asked, her tone was clipped. 

“After the unfortunate incident of Beetlejuice feeding me to the sandworm.” Juno glared at his general direction, to which the demon grinned unapologetically. “I was brought back to the waiting room. The elders heard of what happened and summoned Beetlejuice and I into question.”

Lydia’s eyes snapped to the older ghosts face.

“It turns out I did nothing wrong.” Juno stated plainly. “You Lydia Deetz, and Mr. Charles Deetz have offended the laws of the Neitherworld.”

“We didn’t do anything wrong!” Lydia countered back at the woman.

“Trespassing.” Juno looked unamused by her outburst. “I had every right to bring you back to the Neitherworld.”

“It wasn’t my father’s fault please –“ Lydia continued. 

Juno held a hand up and the girl stopped. “I know exactly why you did it Lydia. And I have to say – there is a very thin line between bravery and utter stupidity.”

“Hey who are you calling stu–“ Beetlejuice started but was cut off.

“That isn’t why we’re here though is it _Beetlejuice_.” Juno snapped at him. “Because of your incompetence and completely selfish pursuit for freedom we’re in this mess.”

“What mess?” Adam asked. 

Juno cleared her throat and spoke. “The marriage between your daughter and Beetlejuice is still **valid**.”

A collective gasp filled the room. 

“B-But I killed him.” Lydia’s voice was just above a whisper. “ _’Till death do us part’_ right?” She quoted.

“Yes,” Juno agreed. “But unfortunately he was already dead. Two negatives make a positive.” The older woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “If you’re taking that news badly, then it only gets worse from here on out.”

“How can it get any worse than that?” Barbara questioned furious as she held her head on one hand.

Juno stayed calm. “Look, I’m going to level with all of you, I don’t want to do this either. I understand why you jumped in.” She looked at both the father and daughter, then to Beetlejuice, and back to the Deetz. “And I know your intentions weren’t of any kind of evil. You’re lucky Miss Argentina vouched for the both of you.

But, unfortunately there are rules and rules are made to be followed, otherwise chaos will ensue. And I need to make sure this one is followed through.”

Lydia’s hands started to sweat as she waited for the older ghost to finish.

“Beetlejuice and Lydia need to _consummate_ their marriage.” Juno didn’t even need to look at the family to know that the dread had already crashed down in on them. “In order for Lydia Deetz and Charles Deetz to be fully pardoned of their crime, for trespassing to the Neitherworld.”


	3. The Start Of A Long Year

Lydia felt her brain screech to a halt. Did she hear what she thought she heard? _No_. There is no way that was right. _No_. Maybe a mispronunciation? Or the use of the wrong term. 

_NO_.

The young adults mind went a mile a minute — quickly dragging her into a pit of denial and absolute horror. _This isn’t happening_ … Cold sweat started to form at the back of her neck, and her eyes glazed up.

“Consummation.” Charle’s voice was shaky, and his face had drained of all colour.

“Yes.” Juno replied.

“Consummation as in… _sex_.” Delia’s eyes were as round as saucers at this point.

“Yes.” Juno rolled her eyes and replied again.

“That is not possible.” Barbara nearly shouted. She was horrified at what she was hearing.

Adam stood up and agreed. “Lydia only turned 18! Isn’t this a crime?” 

Beetlejuice opened his mouth to speak up but Juno held a hand to stop him. He sighed and stopped.

“That she is Mr. Maitland. 18 years of age in both the Neitherworld and the world of the living means the person is legal in everything including and not limited to; owning a license and driving a vehicle, buying a house, and getting _married_.”

Delia started to hyperventilate, Charles quickly held her and rubbed her back. “This – this is an outrage!” Delia screamed at the ghost and demon. “I will not allow –“

“I do not make the rules Mrs. Deetz!” Juno bellowed harshly, making everyone pause. “Do you think I enjoy tormenting the living? I want nothing to do with this whole ordeal, but to save your pathetic behinds, your daughter made a deal with the devil and now we’re here.”

“It’s no one’s fault except mine…” Lydia said quietly as she got up on shaky knees. She felt the air being stolen from her lungs as her eyes darted to every person in the room. 

And then she bolted for the stairs. 

“Lydia!”

She heard her father and stepmother call out to her but she couldn’t stop. 

_Up_.

She had to get out of here.

 _Higher_.

She ran up. All the way to the attic and out the window and climbed up to the roof. She slipped through the window and fell on her knees.

Lydia breathed in the cold night air, not caring that the chilling wind bit her skin. Tears prickled her eyes but she refused to cry. She bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering.

Taking deep gulps of air helped just a little, until she realised she wasn’t alone.

* * *

Beetlejuice watched her run. He look around the room and watched the dread fall upon the family. They started arguing with Juno. She would only reply with concise answers. 

Their emotions flew across their eyes, flittering from one to the next in lightning speed. 

_Horror._

_Shock._

_Realisation._

_Desperation._

_Fear._

_Anger._

_Resentment._

_Regret._

He couldn’t deny the curiosity that piqued within him. When he was alive for that split second, he felt so many things all at once, it was incredible. And now he slightly envied them, but he couldn’t say he empathised with them. It was just one romp in the sheets and then it was done. Why were they making such a big deal about it?

When questioning Juno became a dead end they started to discuss amongst themselves – trying to find some sort error in the documents. 

He scratched the back of his neck in frustration, something he’d do when he didn’t know the next move. Glancing towards the ghost beside him, he was surprised Juno taking everything in with high level of patience and calm. 

“How are ya okay with all their yellin’?” He whispered to her. 

The older ghost only shrugged in response. 

“Welp –“ He got up and pulled on the elastic of his suspenders. “I’m gonna go _explore_.”

Juno raised a brow, did he actually think she would just let him go?

“Hey, who knows what’s happenin’ in that pretty little head of hers.” He winked, and shook his wrists in front of her. The silver bands glowed menacingly in the dimmed light of the dining area, it stuck to him like second skin. 

They had put it on him after Juno was dismissed from the meeting with the higher-ups. It was like a chain that kept him in place and limited the amount of juice he could use. A small price he had to pay for nearly killing an _ENTIRE_ household (and their guests).

The older woman knew who he was talking about of course. Lydia was the only person who wasn’t present in the room. But she also knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything once he found her. She weighed her options and gave him a small nod, but not without a stern look.

“One wrong move Juice.” Juno warned.

Beetlejuice held his hands up. “I know the drill chief.” He said as he juiced himself into a chiefs uniform, before popping back to his regular stripes. 

He gave her one last look that made the older woman question her decision but snapped his fingers and disappeared before she could say anything.

“And where did he go?” Delia demanded.

“None of your concern.” Juno replied.

* * *

Lydia took a step back when she saw the spectre watching her from a dark corner. He levitated into a sitting position and studied her.

He didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he was checking her out. It made the girl in question even more uncomfortable. She had sported on black jeans and boots. Her top was a short turtle neck shirt that hugged her figure in all the right places. The main fabric was a see through lace rose pattern — and the front was modestly covered with a solid black cloth. He could barely recognize the lady she had become now that he took a good look at her from head to toe.

Lydia’s curls were a lot longer, reaching her waist where it tapered down to an elegant V. She had worn it in a half-up do bun with a few stands framing her delicate face. Her dark smokey eyes stared at him in an almost challenging way. She pursed her dark lips into a straight line, as he took in the way it stood out from the pale milky texture of her skin.

The choker she wore all those years ago looked to have been replaced with something else entirely. A silver locket rested nicely on her chest. For a moment he was curious as to what was inside. 

“Out of all the people who would come after me — it had to be _you_.” Her tone held no malice but her guard was up.

Beetlejuice mocked a look of hurt. “What did I do to deserve such a greeting?” He held his hand to his heart. “If memory serves me right — I should be smothered in gratitude right about now after saving the lives of those losers downstairs.” 

There was a pregnant pause, and Beetlejuice finally decided to step out of the shadows and into the moonlight with her.

She stood firm on her ground as he approached like a lion to its prey. Lydia noticed that his appearance had changed slightly. His stripped button down shirt was replaced with a purple one — and the first few buttons were left undone. A black tie he had on hung loosely around his neck. His hair looked nearly bleached, with blonde locks mixing in with pale greens.

Beetlejuice’s eyes were encircled with a dark purple color, though under the moonlight it looked black. 

“What do you want from me?” She finally asked when he was just a mere foot away.

“My freedom.”

Lydia crossed her arms over her chest. “I already gave you that.” 

Beetlejuice stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at her with half-lidded eyes. “And then ya killed me.” 

A smirk made its way on his lips and he started to circle around her. Floating just a few inches off the ground. 

“Tell me babe, how’d it feel?” He asked in his rough voice. He stopped just behind her and rasped low in her ear. “How’d it feel to take a life?”

Lydia’s breath hitched and she turned to face him. “I had to do what was right to save them, you knew that.” She glared at him. “And you were already dead to begin with.”

“Touché.” His smirk never left him, and that irritated the girl. “And that’s why I’m here. We’re still tied to one another because of a minor hiccup. And the higher ups want ya dead if ya can’t fulfil yer end of the bargain.” 

“How is this even a bargain?” She grumbled.

“Oh I dunno —“ Beetlejuice flew up a little higher and rested his head in his palms. “Maybe when you and daddy jumped in to the Neitherworld? Breakin’ in and trespassin’. Ya should’ve been dead by now but thanks to me, yer still alive.” 

Lydia bit the inside of her cheek as he descended and drew closer to her face.

Beetlejuice smirk only heightened. “All ya gotta do is one _rock n' rollin'_ in the sheets with me,” his smile turned absolutely devious at the thought. “And yer home free.” 

Beetlejuice felt a dull pang on his cheek not a second later. One of the perks of being dead — pain is _almost_ nonexistent.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” The goth girl spat out. 

“Me?!” He screeched back, nursing his cheek. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Fuck I’m only tryin’ ta help!” 

“How is this helping?! You’re asking me to-to-“ Lydia felt the bile climb up her throat.

Beetlejuice growled. “Look — ya did a big no-no mkay? And apparently so did I for trickin’ ya, but that’s not the point. Point is — they want yer sweet little ass back in the Neitherworld if ya don’t pay up, and ol’ pops is gonna rot there too because of you!”

“No!” Lydia screamed, utterly mortified. 

“Then **fuck** me!” Beetlejuice yelled back. 

“No!” Disgusted with the notion she balled her fists, ready to strike him again. 

He caught her wrist before she could land the blow. “Is that the only word ya know?! No??” 

“Wh- no?!” She defended, as she struggled to break free.

“Aha!” He pointed at her and waved a chipped black painted finger. “There is it again. No?”

“N-no!” Lydia wanted to pull her hair in frustration. “I mean no that’s not the only word I know!”

He pulled her wrists and seethed through clenched teeth. “Then let’s _Marvin Gaye_ and get it _on_ Lyds.” 

Lydia stomped on his foot and elbowed him straight in the gut before finishing with a sharp kick in his nether regions. He withdrew his hand and let her go. 

“For the record that didn’t hurt —“ he wheezed slightly. 

The girl took a few gasps of air, then straightened her posture. “What do you get from all this? You and Juno just barge in on me and my family and demand I sleep with you, and for what? I doubt saving me and my dad is the full story.” 

The specter glowered at her. “I ain’t getting out of this easily — But if I can just do this one thing then they’ll shorten my sentence.” 

Lydia raised a brow.

* * *

“So the punishment for trespassing in the Neitherworld is for Lydia to bed a dead man.” Adam couldn’t believe what was coming out of his mouth.

“In short, yes.” Juno quipped. “And if they fail to do so within a year, it’s straight to the Neitherworld for both her and her father.”

The pairs looked at each other with uncertainty.

“And what about Beetlejuice?” Barbara asked.

“If he can execute the punishment then his sentence will be shortened.” The older ghost filled them in. “500 years give or take.”

They all winced at the sheer amount of time he had to pay.

“Oh Charles what do we do?” Delia sobbed and clutched on to her husband.

Charles sighed and shook his head dejectedly. “Does it even look like we have a choice?”

It was a few moments later when Lydia and Beetlejuice decided to rejoin the group. The four adults were quiet, while Juno was stating the details.

“He cannot force her into anything, and he is momentarily contained.” The old woman said. “He’s wearing something the Neitherworld created to suppress ghostly abilities and powers. Although he can still do some _things_... it’s less dangerous.”

All eyes turned to the person in question when they made their presence known.

“Oh darling.” Delia got up and pulled Lydia to a hug.

“We’re so sorry.” Barbara said sadly, placing a hand on Lydia’s shoulder. “We tried to find a loophole… but…”

Lydia only nodded. 

“I assume Beetlejuice told you the details to this… unfortunate predicament?” Juno inquired.

“I sure did.” The dead man brought his wrists up to show the silver bands for the second time that night. “And there was no juicin’ involved.”

The goth sighed. 

“Just to make sure we’re on the same page,” Lydia cleared her throat. “If I do go through with it, where does this leave the marriage between me and Beetlejuice?”

Juno placed the papers back in the file and pulled out one that looked like a certificate. Under closer inspection, it was Lydia’s and Beetlejuice’s marriage certificate. 

“Your marriage binds you two together.” Juno told her. “Once the contract is complete after the consummation it will be bound fully in all realms of the living and the dead.”

“Great.” Lydia muttered under her breath.

“It could be worse.” The older ghost replied. “You could be stuck in the Neitherworld for all eternity or at least till you’ve paid for your _unwanted_ visit.” She glanced at Beetlejuice who looked less than pleased to be reminded.

The entire atmosphere of the room dropped even lower than it already had and Juno felt the weight. 

“I’ll try to look for another way… but for now, this is the only option we’ve got.” She told them. “Beetlejuice will be living with you for the next year.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who left a kudos and/or comments :) I hope you guys liked the chapter.
> 
> Trying to combine all 3 of BJ's personalities from the movie, cartoon, and musical verse is tricky – because of how different they all are, so I really do appreciate and welcome any creative criticism in the hopes of getting better. 
> 
> With that said, see you in the next instalment! Until next time guys~


	4. A Little Bit Of An Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EmilieChan pointed out that this BJ was getting movie!beetlejuice vibes. I'll have to thank all the fan-works I've seen and read for that. What I did was list down all their similar traits and kept them – then list down all their different traits and pick which ones would fit best for the character. BJ in all worlds is a dirty, selfish, egotistical, and perverted douchebag – though their differences are:
> 
> Movie!BJ – is openly crass and beyond rough in all sense of the word.  
> Cartoon!BJ – actually cares a lot for Lydia (could be taken as a strength and a weakness).  
> Musical!BJ – is a lonely soul that just wants to be seen.
> 
> And those are the traits I'm trying to meld together to form this BJ of mine. He's gonna have speech patterns like Movie and Cartoon BJ because they're funny and unique (in a way). But he'll also be sensitive, and confused like in Musical. 
> 
> I hope that clears some things up, if not I still hope you enjoy the story.

October 31st.

_Halloween._

Lydia’s favourite holiday of the year. Except today she woke up from a mere three hour sleep.

It was 10 in the morning and she had absolutely no energy to do anything. So she laid in bed and hid under the blankets.

Around an hour later she heard a knock at her door.

“Honey, it’s Barbara.” The voice called out to her.

Lydia groaned inwardly. “I want to be alone right now.” She called back.

“But it’s nearly noon — we’re all worried about you.”

“I’ll be alright. Please.” The girl pleaded.

“Okay...”

She didn’t hear footsteps but she knew Barbara had left. Sighing to herself she let gravity take hold and sink her deeper into the pillows.

The events of the night before plagued her mind for the millionth time that morning. She willed herself not to cry and pushed the balls of her palms into her eyes till she saw stars. This wasn’t even remotely close to anything worth crying about — but it was just as stressful. The fact she has no out makes it even worse. Oh what did she do to deserve this...

Lydia let out a long sigh.

Call her old school but she wanted her first time with someone she actually loved. Maybe even with someone she sees forever with. Was that too much to ask? Maybe it was in this damn world.

The corner of her eyes stung and she fought to keep a brave face. She was not going to cry. Nope.

* * *

Beetlejuice grunted as he looked at the pitiful sight through the window. He knew she wouldn’t be able to see him, so he watched her just like he did the night before.

Her breathing became ragged and her shoulders shook. She was crying. He knew that much. But why? That was a mystery in itself.

He glared at the sight and flew up to the roof.

Why was everyone making such a huge fucking deal about it? It would literally be like a one night stand — and that wouldn’t hold any meaning at all. So why?

“Why are they being such pussies?” He asked no one in particular.

If she had just agreed to it the night before he wouldn’t be stuck in this shit hole again. It was somehow... worse than working with Juno. Not only was he ignored but now he was hated. As if he was the bad guy. 

“I’m innocent I tell ya.” He growled at the wind and flipped a middle finger to the sky.

Scrubbing his face with his hand, he decided that the best way to hurry this up was to just get Lydia on his side. To do that he’d first need to understand why she was sweating through her eyes first. 

Begrudgingly he stood up and looked down at the front lawn. A bird bath devoid of water was staring straight back at him. He remembered when Lydia was so depressed that she was willing to die. Not that he cared, but back then he wanted so badly to just be alive. The irony. Both of them were invisible, both of them were ignored.

They really were the best team when she finally succumbed and called him. 

But then she had to go and ruin it all. The glare came back to his features and he disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

* * *

Delia had been working at the garden that morning. She needed to keep her hands busy, a distraction you could say. 

Since last night the house had been quiet. It was driving her crazy. All she really wanted to do was march up to those stupid higher-ups and demand that they take away their stupid punishment.

Lydia had good intentions, that much she knew. 

_She wanted to see her mother again.._. 

The red headed woman felt a pang of guilt in her chest. If only she was a little bit better, if only she was enough back then — maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

“Hey Red.” Beetlejuice’s rough voice broke her train of thought and nearly made her drop the pot of flowers she was holding. 

She inhaled sharply. “Don’t go around scaring people like that. It’s rude.”

The spectre didn’t seem to acknowledge what she said, and just continued to stare at the ground.

“What do you want?” She sighed, and continued on with her work.

“Why do women cry?”

The woman was taken aback by the question. What made him ask that? Unless... he saw something —

She immediately turned and held a shovel up his throat. Beetlejuice jumped back a little in surprise.

“Whoa! Lady all I did was ask a question!” He brought his hands up.

“What did you do to Lydia?!” Delia seethed. “I swear to whatever you believe in if you even dare to touch one hair on —“

“Woman relax!” He spat back and pushed the shovel down. “I didn’t even see her today. But the walls here ain’t so thick.” 

Delia glared as her eyes grew glassy, and she sniffed before turning away from the ghost.

“Fuck please don’t tell me you’re doin’ the water works too.” He groaned.

“It wouldn’t have come to this if you hadn’t showed up!” She snapped.

“Why does everyone keep thinkin’ it’s my fault?!” He shouted, making the woman face him. 

“Because it is!” She slapped his chest with the back of her hand. “If you just —“

“Just what?” The ghost challenged. “Stopped her from jumpin’ into the Neitherworld? To find her _dead mommy_ because **you** couldn’t do a decent job in making her not feel so fuckin’ invisible?!”

“I did everything I could!” Delia screamed. “I did everything to put her and her father first! It was you who tempted her into all this nonsense!”

“Oh yeah? Then why’d she jump?!”

“Because you were forcing her to marry you!”

Beetlejuice laughed condescendingly. “I really don’t see the fucking problem! Okay so I forced her to marry me — are we all going to ignore the fact that **she killed me**?!” 

“She did what she had to do.” Delia said, mimicking what Lydia had told him the night before.

“I saved everyone in the end.” His said icily. “I saved everyone in this little shit hole you call home and for what?! I don’t even get a proper welcome back! What the actual fuck?

And this _dilemma_ you all have? It’s fucking stupid!! Why? Because it’s literally a fucking one night stand — and then **we’re done**! No strings attached.”

“It’s not as simple as that.” Delia growled in a warning tone.

“Then explain it to me because this bullshit makes no fucking sense!” He argued.

“Sex isn’t something meaningless! And Lydia just turned 18 for god’s sake! She’s a virgin who probably wants her first time to be memorable with the person she actually loves! Instead of a disgusting filthy ghost who cares about no one but himself.” The woman poked him hard with her shovel making him stagger backwards. “I know you saved us and we’re grateful but **_this_** — demanding her to have sex with you after you’ve literally tried to kill us is not going to sit well with anyone!” 

Delia was panting by the end. She was so frustrated and angry. How could someone be so clueless?

“She’s right.” Another voice added themselves to the heated conversation.

The two turned to see Adam and Barbara walking towards them, stopping shy from the door frame. They weren’t allowed access to anywhere outside of their home, unless they had a death wish.

“We know you saved us – thank you. Really.” The ghost looked at him with unhidden gratitude. “But this is a lot to take in. Especially for Lydia.” Barbara said in an even tone.

They had heard the whole exchange. Shouting was not something that would help at the moment.

“Listen, I want out as much as all of you.” Beetlejuice said. “I want to go back home instead of wastin’ away, in this dump. No offence. So can ya just tell the little lady that I’m all in for that ticket out?”

Adam sighed and shook his head. “I really don’t want Lydia to have anything to do with you, in that sense… And I really doubt us telling her that will change her mind.”

“Maybe you could try being a little less aggressive.” Barbara suggested. “Maybe then you two can come to some sort of understanding. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m still hoping Juno finds another way. If we’re lucky you guys won’t have to do it.” 

* * *

It was nearing evening when Beetlejuice found himself on the roof again. The chilly autumn wind blew his now red hair around. He couldn’t feel the chill but he knew it was cold. The people walking past the house were all bundled up in warm coats and boots. The leaves crunched satisfyingly under their feet as they made about their evening. It was mostly couples that were walking late that night, and for some reason it irritated him even more.

He was perched up on his favourite spot in the house hoping he could figure out a way to talk to her again. Lydia wasn’t the same little girl he had met 4 years ago, and after that bombshell of a news he doubted she would even want to look at him. Beetlejuice just wanted his freedom, he sighed deeply as his red hair turned a deep purple.

Why does everything constantly go south for him?

Just then he heard a rustling just below him. Lydia must’ve gotten up. He hopped off the railing and descended towards her bedroom window. She was still wearing her sleep wear, a simple black cotton shirt and shorts.

A chill ran down her back causing her to shiver. Momentarily the ring on her finger pulsed with energy and she absentmindedly twisted it around.

Beetlejuice was invisible, he knew she couldn’t see him. But the way she touched the ring — his ring, he knew she felt his powers coursing through it. Call it intuition.

* * *

Lydia sighed and rested her head on the headboard of her bed. She checked the time, wincing at the angry numbers glaring at her — 4PM.

She had stayed in her room all day.

_Damn._

Another surge pulsed from the ring, demanding she gave it attention. Looking down she gasped when she noticed the red diamond glowing faintly in her unlit bedroom.

“Okay, this is new.” 

It had to have something to do with their unwanted visitors. When her mind floated towards the topic, his face immediately came to the front of her mind. Before she even had the time to push it away, something had fallen from her table. 

“Shit!” A disembodied voice cursed.

“BJ?” She called out to him unsure.

“That’s my name babes, don’t wear it out.” A snap was heard and he became visible.

“Don’t you knock?” She grumbled at him. 

He sat perched up on thin air just at the edge of her bed. 

“Even if I did, I doubt you’d let me in.” He replied nonchalantly while he picked on his fingernails.

Lydia turned her back at him and continued to wallow in her self pity. The bedroom was graced with a few minutes of silence before the spectre couldn’t take it in anymore. 

“Whatcha thinkin’ about babes?” He asked her before he could even stop himself.

“How to get rid of this stupid punishment.” She answered a little harsher than she intended.

“No need to get yer claws out.” The spectre folded his arms across his chest and leaned on the bed post. 

“You don’t understand.” She told him wearily. “And I’m too tired to get argue with you.” 

“Thank god ‘cuz Red gave me a fuckin’ earful this mornin’.” Beetlejuice said in a huff. 

Lydia bit her lip and studied him. She didn’t hate him. Far from it in fact, and she knew deep down neither did her family – the Maitland’s included of course.

“Are you okay with this?” She gestured up towards the both of them.

“Yer gonna have ta give me more than that babes.” He grunted.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “Are you okay with all this sex thing? This whole punishment — to bed me without even knowing the first thing about me?”

The ghost demon only stared at her with an unimpressed reaction. 

“Are you seriously asking me that question?” He asked her deadpanned. 

Lydia shrugged and nodded, unsure.

“I’ve been here a while. Longer than anyone ya know kid. I’ve seen, and done some stuff in my day.” Beetlejuice stated plainly.

The girl blushed and looked away. Hiding her eyes with her curls as she tried to gather her thoughts back. Of course the dead man wasn’t a virgin — she was so stupid to even consider that. He probably did it with a lot of women, maybe even some who were a lot prettier than she was. Oh god was she actually comparing herself now? The girl shook her head slightly to rid the thoughts away. 

_Did he ever do it with people he didn’t know…?_ She wondered.

“But I’m guessing this is yer first time?” He asked her, breaking her reverie.

She turned her head towards him, eyes wide with shock and mild embarrassment.

“Who — who told you that?!” She demanded, her cheeks flaring with a delectable rosy hue.

Beetlejuice wasn’t fazed with her response but he wasn’t ready for how well the colour looked on her pale skin. He smirked deviously as he decided he liked that look on her, and he vowed to see more of it in the future. 

“I’m bored.” Beetlejuice announced.

“Go scare someone then.” The girl huffed. If he wouldn’t answer her question then she wouldn’t go along with his silly pranks. Maybe.

“But wouldn’t it be more fun to scare people together?” He continued.

She didn’t answer.

“Come on Lyds. Throw me a bone here —“ he turned into a dog and pushed his wet nose under her arm.

Lydia squealed at the sudden coolness of his snout and jumped.

He barked and wagged his tail. Lydia fought to keep a straight face. A bone suddenly appeared in her hand and the ghost looked at her expectantly. The girl rolled her eyes and threw the bone.

It went straight through the wall, and when Beetlejuice ran to retrieve it — so did he. There was a moment of silence then a scream from Delia. 

Lydia threw her hands up to hide her smile.

Beetlejuice came back, bone in his mouth and a very satisfied smirk on his face.

“BJ, I’m not in the mood.” She groaned — but he knew he had gotten through to her.

“Ya know what,” he took his original shape again and sat the end of the bed. “Neither am I. What’s on yer mind kid?”

She shot him a look of genuine surprise and mild confusion, it was the second time he asked.

“Since when did you care what I think?” The girl asked.

“I don’t.” He told her plainly. “But this whole thing ya got going — is kinda bugging me.”

Lydia looked at him deadpanned. “That’s called caring BJ.” 

“Oh. Well it’s disgusting.” He made a face that forced her lips to twitch up a little bit.

Lydia decided not to answer. Instead she got up and walked over to her wardrobe. As much as she wanted the sheets to just swallow her, she knew staying in bed wouldn’t help the situation she got herself tied up in. Juno had told them that she would look for answers, and that was what Lydia was betting on — for now. She knew if she meddled any more than she already did it would do more bad than good. 

Picking up a simple fitting black dress, she paired it up with thick black leggings and a bulky black knitted sweater. She found the box with her grandparents present she received last night and decided to pull it out as well. For shoes she chose her faux leather combat boots.

After placing it on the bed she nodded to herself in approval.

“Taking a hike babe?” The spectre floated behind her.

“Yeah, I think I’ll visit the graveyard.” She looked out the window and saw the dark stormy clouds rolling up ahead. “Think it’s gonna rain?”

Beetlejuice followed her line of sight. “Nah, it’s too thin. It ain’t gonna rain today.”

“Perfect.” Lydia didn’t know why she was taking his word for it — but she was too sleep deprived to care. The cemetery wasn’t too far off, it was just a 15 minute bike ride. She grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom. 

“No peeking.” The goth told him, narrowing her eyes.

The ghost lifted his hands up and rolled his eyes. “You do know we’re _married_ right?”

“Doesn’t give you the right to either way.” She sassed and closed the bathroom door. 

* * *

Lydia walked down the stairs deep in thought when she ran into her father. Charles had a cup of tea and a newspaper folded under his arm. He looked surprised to see her. 

“Pumpkin.” He smiled at her. 

She responded with a small smile of her own and walked towards the man giving him a hug. 

“Haven’t seen you all day.” He looked down at her. “We were… getting a little worried.”

Beetlejuice appeared at the top of the staircase, viewing the whole scene as it unfolded. He didn’t make his presence known, but Charles acknowledged him either way with a quick nod of his head. The spectre slowly floated his way down the stairs, hands deep inside his pockets. 

“I’m alright, dad.” Lydia said softly into his chest. “I just needed time to let everything sink in.”

Charles nodded understandingly. “I’m not really great at talking, but… Lydia I’m here if you need me.” 

“I know.” She was grateful for it. “We’ll figure this out. I know we will.”

He grinned at her positivity and kissed the crown of her head. “Will you at least eat something before you go out.” 

Lydia let go and looked up at the older man and laughed. They made their way into the kitchen and Barbara immediate lit up when seeing her. 

“Finally.” The ghost woman teased and pulled out some food from the fridge to reheat in the microwave oven. 

It wasn’t anything special, just mashed potatoes with beef slices on top of steamed vegetables.

Adam offered her a glass of orange juice which she accepted all too willingly. 

The Maitland’s eyed Beetlejuice as he took a seat beside the girl and noticed the air of slight awkwardness between them. They looked at each other before Adam spoke up.

“Um, want some juice?” He asked the demon ghost. 

Beetlejuice looked up at him, then at the pitcher with the bright orange liquid inside. 

“Sure why not.” His raspy voice came out a little worn. 

Lydia chewed her food slowly as she watched the exchange. The gears in her curious head started to turn. 

“Do ghosts need to eat?” She asked between bites.

Beetlejuice shook his head. “Nah, it’s just somethin’ we choose to do.”

“Yeah.” Adam agreed as he put the pitcher back in the fridge to take out two slices of cake. He placed it in front of the spectre and the girl. “We all had a slice.” He grinned apologetically. 

Lydia thanked him and turned back to the dead man sitting next to her. 

“If you don’t need to eat, why do you choose to do it?” She asked again.

Beetlejuice looked at the cake and took a big forkful. “Mind taking this one?” He asked Adam.

“Well Lydia,” The ghost pushed his glasses up his nose. “When you’re dead you don’t really need… um, nourishment.” 

“Kinda like how you don’t really need all those sugary sweets.” Barbara quipped, sending the girl a knowing glance. “But you eat them anyway.” 

Lydia smirked and nodded slowly in understanding. _Interesting,_ she said to herself. Taking the glass of orange juice, she drank it all in one go. 

“It was delicious as usual Barbara. Thank you.” She smiled, before digging in to the cake. 

The woman smiled and continued to put away the dishes. 

“Where are you going this evening Lydia?” She asked the younger girl.

“Oh just the cemetery.” Lydia answered. “I was thinking of being able to get some pictures with the Jack-O-Lanterns they usually have up on the gates.”

The Maitland’s shrugged and nodded their heads.

Beetlejuice let out a large burp. “‘Xcuse me.”

Lydia burst of laughing. “You’re gross BJ.” 

The adults felt relief wash over them as they watched her try to cover up her giggles with her hand. 

The spectre sent her a lopsided grin. “You know it babes.” He said winking at her. 

“You should come with me. There are some pretty cool stuff at the cemetery that I’d like to show you.” She bubbled in excitement, realizing that she finally had someone who shared the same interest – or at least could appreciate it.

Beeltejuice smirked. “Hell yeah! Let’s go.”

They stood up and Lydia picked up her camera before saying goodbye. 

“Don’t stay out too late! Be back before 10!” Adam had called out. 

The duo waved in acknowledgment from the pavement where Lydia’s bicycle was propped up on a stand. She slipped her camera into the basket of her ride before peddling away. 

“A _strange_ bunch aren’t they?” Barbara kept her eyes on them as they disappeared at the corner. 

“And _unusual_.” Adam nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again thank you for all the feedback and kudos :) I hope you're all enjoying the story, if you are please leave a comment below!
> 
> Until next time guys~


	5. Stroll Around The Cemetery

The ride to the cemetery was quiet, and very much awkward. Lydia kept her focus on the road, but at the back of her head a storm of questions was raging. It was all so well blended that she couldn’t decipher what exactly she wanted to know – but the curiosity burned inside her.

After the whole thing started to sink in she began to thinking a little clearly. She had a full year to find a way out, and although depending on the situation it would either mean a good thing or bad – though she’d rather think of it under positive light. The goth knew she wasn’t alone so that helped. But then there was the whole enigma who was casually floating beside her.

He had told her that no one would see him, unless she wanted him to make himself visible. The girl had to shake her head at that and said it was easier to explain herself talking to thin air than talking to someone who was flying a foot from the ground. 

Beetlejuice had quietly resigned to himself as they passed by the rows of badly halloween decorated houses. None of the skeletons were real, what a drag – and the Jack-O-Lanterns didn’t even look scary. _Breathers are so weird._

They had this whole day dedicated to all things creepy – yet for the most part they’re terrified when something actually scary happens to them. The spectre sighed inwardly at the memory. It had been a while since his visit to the Neitherworld. Working with Juno gave him the chance to go back to the Road House – a worn down building that he rented along with his house mates. They had missed him terribly (he wouldn’t tell anyone that he appreciated that) and they were so happy he was back (so was he but no one needed to know). 

After only a few days back to his old life, Juno had barged in and pulled him to a meeting with the Higher-Up’s. It turned out he had crossed the line with the Deetz and the Maitland family, no surprise there – and his reckless abandon for the law had put him in a very difficult situation, again no surprise there.

Beetlejuice yawned tiredly and pulled up his hand which held three watches, telling them if that was all they were going to say to him, he best be on his way. He had heard their lectures time and time again, although he would admit he had never gone as far as he did with those breathers. It was sort of exciting in a sick way. That was – until the Higher-Up’s told him to pick up his shit and consummate with the girl lest she and her father suffer at his expense. 

Bold of them to assume he cared – but the truth was he did, in an odd and strange way. The girl had managed to wriggle into his dead unbeating heart, it was adorable but highly inconvenient in that specific moment. 

But mostly he was bought when they told him about reducing his sentence. Sweet freedom from working with Juno, it was a hard bargain to pass up.

So he decided he’d get it over and done with, because it was just a one time deal. He had done it with hundreds of women before, both with or without a pulse, so how hard could this be?

Very hard.

He didn’t expect the huge turn of events. As far as he knew – it was something not remotely conventional but not exactly difficult either. To make matters worse they had strapped on wrist bands that withheld most if not all of his juicing abilities. It was all a bunch of baloney if you asked him. 

When he realised he couldn’t just waltz in, do the deed, and waltz back out – the dread started to form. The Higher-Up’s were not pleased with his records against the law so besides the breathers coming in to pay their due’s, he’d be thrown to a place no ghost wants to be. 

The cold sweat of fear started to tickle the back of his neck. His entire afterlife-future was literally in Lydia’s hands. Well that and her’s and her father’s as well.

So they really had no choice but to go back to the Outerworld and explain the situation. 

The spectre’s frown deepened as he contemplated all this again, and that did not go unnoticed by the girl.

“When you frown that much you’ll get wrinkles faster.” Lydia spoke up, breaking the silence between them. “Delia told me that.” She added.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m dead then.” Beetlejuice retorted without looking at her. 

The goth continued to pedal. They crossed an intersection and then made a small turn down the end of a corner. It brought them up to a dirt path that lead to a huge steel gate. Just as Lydia described, there were Jack-O-Lanterns placed around the entrance, including stacks of hay and a few fake cobwebs. 

She climbed off the bike and chained it to a spot near the entrance. Then taking her camera, she lead the way inside. The gate opened with a shrill creak.

“You come here often babes?”

“Is it that obvious?” She sent him a lopsided grin before focusing her gaze back on the beat up road. 

Leaves littered the ground. At the far end of the ghosts peripheral vision he noticed an old man sweeping it up. Lydia followed his gaze when he didn’t answer. 

“That’s Alfred.” The goth told him, before waving politely at the pruny man. “He’s the grounds keeper. Usually lets me do my own thing.”

“So yer a loner.” Beetlejuice stated plainly. 

Lydia frowned at him. “No, I’ve got friends. I just don’t think they –”

“Understand ya.” He finished.

The girl stifled a grin that was forming on her lips. “You can say that. But that doesn’t make them any less of a friend.”

She stopped in front of an old decrepit tombstone suddenly and pulled up her camera. At first the spectre thought she would be capturing the haunting stone slab but instead he found her attention was drawn to a brightly coloured green beetle resting just above it. It’s shiny exoskeleton stood out in an almost ironic way. 

Lydia snapped a couple of pictures and lifted a finger to it. The little bug slowly crawled onto her and moved its antennae as a greeting. 

“Thanks for letting me take a picture of you lil’ guy.” She said to it softly before placing it back on the stone. 

“Ya talk to animals often princess?” Beetlejuice mocked. 

The girl narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll answer that if you answer some of my questions.”

He held a hand up in defence and bowed his head. “Fair trade. What would ya like ta know?”

Lydia thought about it carefully while walking through the maze of tombstones. She usually had questions at the ready from the top of her head when it came to ghostly subjects – but she suspected he would refuse to answer some if not most. She could always start somewhere simple though. 

“What’s it like in the Neitherworld?” The question tumbled out before she had a second chance to think about it.

It took a while for the spectre to answer, and she worried that she might’ve said something wrong. 

“It’s almost like this.” He said finally, gesturing towards the rows of houses just past the gate.

“Like a normal society?”

Beetlejuice nodded. “Yeah. The Neitherworld was built on rules for the most part. There are a lot of rules. Can’t do this, can’t do that. It’s all stupid really, I mean we’re dead so we really should be able to so anythin’ we wanted.”

The Neitherworld was definitely full of laws. Laws he wouldn’t outright disobey but there were loopholes in every system, including this one, which was why they couldn’t really lock him up for good no matter how hard they tried. 

“What did you do before haunting the Maitlands?” Was her second question.

“Haunting them wasn’t my job.” He clarified. “I was a bio-exorcist. A freelancer you could say.”

“A freelancer? So you’ve been a freelancer all your… er, afterlife?” 

“No.” Was all he gave her.

The demon ghost found a purple flower growing amidst the green moss growing at the side of a tomb and pulled her attention towards it. Lydia snapped a few photos of a close up, noticing the tiny spotted details on its petals. She smiled at natures beauty. 

Beetlejuice watched her work tirelessly taking shots of every angle.

“Ya haven’t answered my previous question.”

Lydia looked up at him, he was comfortably sitting on one of the headstones studying her. 

“I do talk to them sometimes. Something I started way back when I was younger.” She told him simply.

After a few more clicks from her camera, she got up and dusted the dirt from her knees. 

“I have another question. Why are you suddenly being so understanding and nice to me?”

Beetlejuice glared at the ground. “Yer folks said some things that got me thinkin’ – is all.”

“What did they say?” She asked genuinely curious. 

“Everything you told me on the roof except with more explanation.” He answered. “Now that I’ve got their side of the deal, tell me why exactly you don’t want ta just have it over and done with?”

Lydia bit the inside of her cheek in apprehension. She sighed and dropped the camera she was holding, leaving its weight at the mercy of the straps attached around her neck. 

“It’s not something I want to do with just anybody Beej. Especially not for the first time.” She said slowly. “I want to get out of this as much as you do, and I’m sure you do. But call me old school – I actually want it to be with someone I like.” 

Beetlejuice ran an annoyed hand on his face and sighed deeply. 

“Yeah old school pretty much sums ya up kid.” He bit back a little irritated. They were all just a lame bunch of _pussies_.

She noticed his tone change, and the tips of his hair had turned a little red. “Besides shortening your sentence,” Lydia decided she wouldn’t be fazed. “What else would you get out of this? It seems to me you’ve got little to lose here Beej.”

Beetlejuice stuffed his hands in his pockets again and finally looked up to meet her eye to eye. 

“I already told ya that those stick ups don’t really like me because of my impressively long list of _not so good_ deeds.” He groused, breaking eye contact. “They told me they’d look the other way if I manage to do this. Know what I mean?” 

“I guess they take their laws very seriously there.” Lydia deduced.

He snorted in agreement. “It’s the only thing holding everythin’ together.”

Lydia watched him as he pulled himself up into a standing position. The sun was starting to set creating a pink hue in the sky. It filtered the world around her even more, taking into consideration that the leaves were already in bright yellows and reds. She stared at his dirty black and white stripped suit and noticed the slight moulds and stains that littered the whole get up. Briefly wondering why he looked like trash, while ghosts such as Juno and the Maitland’s always seemed pristine and well put together. 

His hair seemed like a natural disaster on its own. It didn’t seem to have grown any longer but it definitely defied gravity – sticking out every which way, as if he touched a live wire and electrocuted himself. The vibrant green that she was used to seeing had paled and locks of pale blonde blended its way around his head. She wondered briefly if his time in the Neitherworld had anything to do with it. 

_Kinda like getting grey hairs?_ She mused to herself.

“Like sumthin’ ya see sweetheart?” He threw her – what he deemed sexy, but to Lydia was just another _sleazy_ grin. “If ya wanted to _study_ me we could’ve skipped the whole runnin’ ‘round graveyards thing.” 

Lydia frowned and momentarily decided she liked him better when he kept his mouth shut. She rolled her eyes and turned away, walking towards a hill top.   
“Why do you always have to ruin the mood with your wretched commentaries?” She shot back at him.

He had lingered behind her as they made the climb. 

“You know how I am babes, the better question is why did _you_ bring me if ya didn’t like my company?” Beetlejuice easily counteracted, he smirked when she didn’t answer. 

Lydia stopped as soon as she reached the top and plopped down to take a break. She sighed and took in the view of their town, now covered with a light fog. The sun was getting low but she didn’t seem to be afraid – _afraid_ with regards to the fact that she was with a dangerous and crazy demon ghost alone in a graveyard.

“Really though, why did ya bring me here?” He asked again. “I thought you’d _hate_ me fer sure – like yer folks.”

The goth looked at him curiously. She was slightly taken aback with the notion of hatred. There were a few things she did oh so despise in the world, was he one of them?

She bit her dark stained lip as she tried to think of an answer. 

“I don’t hate you BJ.” Lydia finally answered after a while in thought. “We were… kind of friends before the whole you know.” 

She shrugged to make it seem like it didn’t bother her. It did though. They were friends at one point, or at least acquaintances with benefits that kept them in good terms – before he screwed her over of course. 

_But then he did save you and your family._ She had contemplated that too many times in the past. 

“So ya like me?” He lowered himself to sit next to her and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively which resulted in her laughing.

When she quieted down she noticed the scruff on his face was still there, but now it held more moss than before.

“Why do you look so dirty compared to the others?” 

“Ah, well usually ghosts look like how they died, but fer me I just choose to look this way. It’s a lot more intimidating don’t cha think?” 

Lydia hummed in response and looked back at the view below them. 

“If ya don’t hate me, and ya don’t like me…” He asked, scratching the back of his neck. “Then what exactly are we?”

“I’m not sure.” She replied honestly. “I don’t know anything about you, and you don’t know anything about me.”

“Well I know ya love to scare the shit out of people.” He cackled and she joined him, it was true after all.

“I brought you here because it reminded me of how I found you in Adam’s town model. You seemed to like hanging around the graveyard.” The goth supplied. 

“I do.” Beetlejuice nodded.

A silence fell upon them and Lydia took the chance to sneak another glance at the dead man beside her. 

“I’m sorry.” She said suddenly.

The apology caught him off guard by a long shot. He looked at her with surprised and confused eyes. Lydia took note that they were hazel blue.

“Uhh.” He wasn’t used to being apologized to. “Fer what babe?”

“We were in on it together. The whole marriage thing. And I _killed_ you.” He voice slightly wavered by the end of it. She swallowed and steeled her nerves, now was not the time to delve too deep into it. “And thank you for saving us.”

Beetlejuice didn’t exactly give her a response, but they found themselves feeling a little less awkward, and a little lighter than when they first arrived. Maybe they could start out as friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man slow burns really take a toll don't they. So what did you guys think of this chapter? Please leave a comment or a kudos (or both, if you're feeling generous) before you leave, it really encourages me to keep going with this. I'd also like to know how I'm doing so I could do better and well, yeah. I'll be counting on you amazing readers!
> 
> Until next time.


	6. Songs and Fist Fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! It was brought to my attention (by keronion, thank you) that the timelines are jumping too much and perhaps are leaving some of you confused. I thought it could sort of iron itself out as the story progressed but - I think it'll be a lot easier if I explain it all here. Feel free to skip this part if you already know.
> 
> It is a mix of Movie, and Musical – the characters and their personality traits will be a mix of those verses and the Cartoon.
> 
> So this is how it goes for this particular story:  
> 1\. Beetlejuice and Lydia meet for the first time in the attic, BJ being inside Adam's models but doesn't say his name. (Movie)  
> 2\. Lydia befriends him on the roof, still not saying his name. (Musical)  
> 3\. She tries to scare the visitors of her parents but it doesn't work – so she calls on BJ, and they both have a blast with making people scream – neighbours included. (Musical/Movie)  
> 4\. Lydia leaves BJ to find more information about her mom after she stumbles on the 'Book for the Recently Deceased'. (Musical)  
> 5\. BJ feels cheated on because he thought they would spend their days scaring people forever. (Musical)  
> 6\. He tricks Lydia into marrying him by messing with the Maitlands. (Musical/Movie)  
> 7\. Lydia agrees but jumps into the Neitherworld portal before the ceremony could even start. (Muscial)  
> 8\. BJ wrecks havoc on the living world/Outerworld while Lydia is gone – nearly killing everyone. (Musical)  
> 9\. Lydia comes back and makes BJ believe she had a change of heart and they get married. (Musical/Movie)  
> 10\. BJ actually comes to life and nearly kills everyone again because he can't handle emotions – then Lydia stabs him straight in the chest. (Musical)  
> 11\. Juno throws the newly deceased BJ into the sandworm pit. (Musical)  
> 12\. Juno comes in demanding Lydia and her father come back to the Neitherworld with her for breaking the rules. (Musical)  
> 13\. BJ comes back and saves everyone by conquering his fears of sandworms (he named it Sandy). He rides on Sandy's back into the house and makes it eat Juno. (Musical)  
> 14\. Juno pops back in to the waiting room. (inspired by the Movie)
> 
> And then my story continues on from there. I hope that clears it up for you guys. Thanks again for pointing it out, and I'm open to questions and feed back guys so don't hesitate to shoot me a comment :)
> 
> Disclaimer: The song BJ sings is by Bread titled "If" (1971)
> 
> Now without further ado, on with the story!

Weeks pass by after that night at the graveyard. As much as Lydia wanted to say she and Beetlejuice became good friends it was rather difficult to get him to open up. The girl confided in Barbara most of the time, about her newly found knowledge of her unusual _friend_. The Maitland’s weren’t as prejudice as they were before, but they still held their guard up just in case. 

One time around November, Beetlejuice and Lydia had a falling out. It wasn’t anything big, but one of them overstepped their boundaries – and it was a rapid spiral down once they got the flame started. There were curses thrown around, and the parents tried their best to calm the storm that was raging in their home, which was briskly becoming a futile attempt. 

The dead man disappeared that night before he could do any real damage, and the girl locked herself in her room.

Then suddenly the next day he had apologised to her and her family before disappearing again for a number of days. It left them questioning everything they actually knew about the demon ghost. Lydia felt the guilt eating at her and promised to do the same as soon as she saw him.

As fate would have it, things didn’t go the way she planned. Though that’s not to say it was a bad thing.

She found him on the roof staring at the moon. It was full that evening, and he was more translucent than she was used to. The Maitland’s once told her it took energy to keep them tangible, not too much but still. He had his back faced towards her while she debated with herself on how to approach the subject. She was about to push open the window but stopped dead on her tracks when she heard the first notes of an acoustic guitar. 

_What?_ Lydia stared at him deducing that he must’ve juiced it up somehow. Then he did something she never expected.

Beetlejuice started to **_sing_**. 

_“If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can’t I paint you?”_ His voice was rough, but warm and soft. 

Lydia pulled her hand away from the window and brought her fingers to her mouth as she gasped silently. 

_“The words will never show,”_ He continued to strum. _“The you I’ve come to know.”_

Who was he singing about? The Goth wondered to herself. The melody sounded so sad.

_“If a face could launch a thousand ships,_

_then where am I to go?_

_There’s no one home by you,_

_You’re all that’s left me too…_

_And when… my love… for life is running dry,_

_You come… and pour… yourself on me.”_

Lydia could’ve sworn she saw his shoulders shake ever so slightly. Somewhere at the back of her mind, her conscience pushed her to go back and leave the ghost be, but her body refused to listen. The girl was too enraptured by the dead man’s song.

_“If a man could be two places at one time,_

_I’d be with you,_

_Tomorrow and today…_

_Beside you all the way.”_

She felt her own heart clench, but she didn’t understand why. So moved by his song, her feet inched closer towards the window against her will. Quietly she slipped onto the roof, as he sang his sorrowful ballad.

_“If the world should stop revolving,_

_Spinning slowly down to die,_

_I’d spend the end with you,_

_And when the world was through…”_

Beetlejuice looked forlornly at the stars that twinkled in the night sky. They shone so brightly. The Neitherworld didn’t have any stars, it was just an endless void of darkness for the dead.

_“Then one by one the stars would all go out,_

_Then you, and I…_

_Would simply fly…_

_Away…”_

A sigh escaped his cold lips and the guitar vanished in a ripple till he was holding nothing but air. 

“That was beautiful Beej.” Lydia broke his reverie, making him stiffen. She quickly added, “Please don’t disappear! I swear I didn’t mean to spy, I was just… I, I didn’t know you sang.” 

He snorted. “There’s a lot ya don’t know about me babes. But don’t go around spreading that, got a rep’ to uphold and all that shit.”

She softly padded across the roof and carefully sat a few yards away from him. 

“I’m sorry.” Lydia spoke in a hushed tone, as if the atmosphere would break if she had spoken any louder.

Beetlejuice nodded his head accepting her apology. “You don’t really have a reason to apologise.” He clarified.

Lydia dared to inch closer to him.

“I felt I needed to.” She said. “You play beautifully by the way.” 

He chuckled. “You pick up a few things when you’ve been dead for half a millennium, give or take.”

Lydia’s eye brows shot up. “Wow.”

“Yup,” The spectre puffed his chest out in pride. “Lived through the Black Death and everything.”

“No way.” The goth shook her head and laughed but was surprised none the less. He grinned when she tried to cover her giggles. “That would mean you’re somewhere from Europe right?”

“Ah well, the UK to be exact.” He noted, looking back up at the full moon. 

Lydia openly gasped. “Where?” 

Beetlejuice smirked at her and winked. “Story fer another day.”

* * *

The parent’s didn’t know exactly what had happened on the roof that night, but Lydia had a thoughtful expression on her face the next time they saw her. Beetlejuice and her talked a lot more often in the days to come, it left them perplexed. 

“Should we ask?” Barbara voiced out her thoughts as she looked at the strange duo from across the kitchen window.

Charles sipped his morning coffee slowly as he followed her line of sight. “She doesn’t seem to be in any danger.”

Beetlejuice and Lydia were sitting under a tree, side by side, leaning on the bark but not touching. They were talking animatedly. Lydia’s cheeks and nose were dusted with a pale pink shade from the cold, but she didn’t seemed bothered by it. The spectre must’ve said something funny, because Lydia was in a fit of laughter.

Delia watched them, the ends of her mouth twitched upwards knowingly. “Oh my dear Lydia.”

“Why?” Adam asked the red haired woman curiously.

The woman only shrugged and sighed, but the smile never left her lips. 

* * *

“How’d you girls do on the test?” Lydia asked as she closed her locker for the last time that day. 

“It was simple enough.” A short girl with pale orange locks said triumphantly. “What about you Bertha?”

“Well we all studied for the test together so I’m hoping I get an A.” Bertha snorted.

Lydia laughed. “That’s a relief. Thanks by the way Prudence, all your pointers actually made it to the exam.”

The shorter girl, Prudence, curtsied and giggled. “It was my pleasure. Oh I’m so excited, just a few more months and we’ll be in college!”

It was their last year at ‘Miss Shannon’s School for Girls’, and the goth had to admit, it was moving way too fast. It felt like only yesterday they were little girls running around and having fun.

Prudence and Bertha had stuck with Lydia since they were young. Though looking at them now, Lydia smiled nostalgically at how they’ve all grown. Prudence grew out her short orange locks and rocked stylish spectacles by Freshmen year – all the while maintaining her straight A’s. She was a lot more confident and more open to trying new things. Bertha on the other hand was just as goofy as she was back then. Her long brown hair that curled softly at the ends was styled into a high ponytail with an impressively bedazzled ribbon. She got braces not long before middle school to fix her buck teeth – which just like Prudence, gained her more confidence. 

“Hey losers.” A high pitched voice barged into their little conversation.

Lydia suppressed a groan and rolled her eyes before turning around. 

Of course Claire had to ruin their day. The prissy blonde stood in front of them with all her arrogance. She held her little button nose up in the air and flashed them a condescending stare. If there was one thing that didn’t change it was Claire Brewster. 

“I’ll bet poor Lydia doesn’t even have any plans after school.” Claire said haughtily and laughed with her minions. “I heard she hasn’t even sent any letters to colleges! Oh Lyddie aren’t you tired of dragging your parents down? You’re already a _freak_ , who’s friends with complete _wacko’s_ and now… you don’t have a future.”

Lydia’s blood boiled. “It’s none of your business Claire.”

“Right, because you don’t want the whole school to know how much of a failure you really are.” The blonde let out another bark of laughter.

“Piss off Claire.” Bertha spoke up, but not without a slight shiver to her voice.

Claire arched a perfectly shaped brow at the tall girl. “What was that?”

“Let’s go Lyds.” Prudence begged quietly and pulled Lydia by the sleeve of her uniform. 

They were about to walk away but Claire wasn’t done with them yet.

“Hey! I was talking to you!” She pulled on Bertha’s pony tail hard.

Bertha screamed in pain and stumbled backwards with a loud thump when she hit the floor. Prudence looked horrified and rushed to Bertha’s side helping her up. As for Lydia, she was furious. 

“What is your problem?” She snarled at Claire.

Claire huffed and looked at her manicured nails. “She was being rude. I wasn’t done talking yet.” 

“Oh you’ve talked enough.” Lydia shoved the girl hard. 

Claire’s group caught her with no harm done but the girl was flabbergasted that the losers were actually fighting back. It made her angry. With a battle cry the blonde leapt from their arms and tackled Lydia to the ground. The students started to form a circle, looking as the fight became more and more aggressive. 

Claire pulled on Lydia’s hair and scratched her face leaving three long marks on her cheek. Lydia howled in pain. 

“That’s what you get for talking back, freak!” Claire yelled, and she threw her hands up at Lydia’s throat, squeezing tight.

The goth chocked as the air was cut off from her system, but she refused to give up. Lydia used all her strength to push Claire off her chest and scrambled to get back on her feet. She coughed hard and wheezed while trying to gather her bearings. 

The blonde growled as stalked forward pulling on Lydia’s shirt only to use momentum to her advantage and slammed the goth onto the lockers. Lydia grunted as her back hit the metal doors hard. 

Getting sick of being tossed around, Lydia leaned back and put all her weight on her feet. She was going to smack a bitch. Lydia drew her hand back and with all her might threw a fist straight into Claires eye. 

“What _**IS**_ going on here?!” 

A collective gasp echoed in the hallways as the Principal strode down towards the scene, Prudence following closely behind. 

“My office. _**NOW**_.” 

In Lydia’s defence she had never acted out without reason, especially not in school – so when her parents were called to the office they were shocked to see that their daughter was in such a predicament. Charles questioned her softly none the less, while Delia let out her mama bear and refused to believe that her Lydia would start such a rebellious act on school grounds. Prudence and Bertha testified to her innocence as well, claiming it to be self-defence.

The Principal had let her off with a warning and Lydia had been grateful.

Unfortunately, Claire was given the same treatment too, even though she didn’t deserve it. _But I guess when daddy’s filthy rich, you can afford anything…_ Lydia thought bitterly.

* * *

As soon as the Deetz arrived home, Lydia was barraged with worried words and questions. She had expected that. 

Beetlejuice on the other hand stood quietly by the door frame glaring at no one in particular.

“Oh that Claire really ruffles my feathers!” Barbara sneered as she pulled out the first aid kit.

“What happened Lydia?” Adam asked worriedly. “I know it wasn’t you.”

The girl sighed. “She pulled Bertha’s hair, so I pushed her, and the rest was history.” She winced as Barbara disinfected the scratch marks on her cheek. 

Delia plopped down beside her and handed the goth a mug of hot chocolate with a dozen mini marshmallows on top. “Drink, it’ll make you feel better.”

Lydia smiled and sipped the sweet beverage.

“That girl has a problem.” Charles said with a deep frown and furrowed brows. 

Barbara stuck a large bandaid on Lydia’s cheek and patted it gently. “All done. Though the bruises on your neck… I could cover it up for you?”

Lydia unconsciously reached up to touch it. “Yeah, okay.”

Adam sighed, growing exasperated. “Charles please don’t tell me she got off the hook without a proper reprimanding.” 

The goths father shook his head making the ghost deflate only more.

“That _bitch_ should be taught a lesson.” Beetlejuice finally spoke up. “How can ya just let this pass by? She fuckin’ chocked Lyds.”

Charles pulled up a chair and sat down rubbing his temples. “Trust me I want to do something about it, and we tried.”

“Claire’s father is loaded.” Delia pointed out flatly. “No guesses to be made there, he most likely bribed the school to keep Claire from getting into any serious trouble.” 

“It’s okay.” Lydia spoke up again. “Really, I can handle myself, and whatever Claire throws at me. After all I did giver her a black eye.” She stated proudly. 

The five adults gawked at her in shock and amusement. It was Beetlejuice who broke the air and laughed hard, Delia joined in and then Charles shook his head with a smile on his face. The Maitland’s tried to keep themselves from joining in, giving Lydia a reprimanding look but it didn’t last long. They were relieved she knew how to defend herself. 

That night Lydia went to bed with more bandages than she ever needed before. Her shoulder was killing her from the impact of the lockers but her family had enough to worry about for now. As she took her clothes off to change for the night she cringed when she turned to see the purple and green bruise forming on her skin. It looked worse for ware especially because of how pale she was.

“You didn’t get that patched up?” Beetlejuice floated mid air as he looked at the bruise in question.

Lydia immediately turned as red as a tomato and pulled up her shirt to cover her bra. 

“Oh my – Beetlejuice get _out_!” She yelled.

She threw a brush at him and it hit him square on the chest. “Hey! Ow – I was just checking up on you! And easy on the B-word!” He quickly turned away and clicked his tongue. “Excuse me for being concerned.” The spectre grumbled.

Lydia huffed and quickly changed into her pyjamas, praying the heat in her cheeks would die down.

“If ya want me to do something to her all ya gotta do is ask.” He said out loud. 

The girl couldn't help but grin.

“I appreciate it,” Lydia started making her way to the comforts of her bed and pulled up the covers on her legs. “But if you hurt her, you might get in trouble with Juno. And that’s much worse than what happened today.” 

Beetlejuice responded with his trademark smirk. “Worried about me babe?”

She scoffed. “You wish.” And with that she switched her lamp off. “Are you just gonna float there and watch me sleep? That’s creepy you know.” 

Snuggling deeper into the covers she winced again when her bruise brushed the pillows, but the pain was gone as soon as she felt something cold against it. She gasped and pulled away, turning to see Beetlejuice with his hand outstretched and glowing an eerie green. 

“Relax.” He told her. “I’m jus’ stopping it from getting any worse. Unless ya want me to call the Maitland’s –“

“No.” She said all too quickly. “They’ve had enough for today… um, is it safe?”

Beetlejuice let out an impatient huff. “Look, do ya want to sleep well tonight or not?”

Lydia weighed her options and decided sleep was something she needed. She slipped back in the sheets and slowly eased herself as the spectre placed his cold hand on her back again. She let out a soft sigh of relief as the pain washed away and before she knew it, sleep had taken over her.


	7. Will You Go To The Dance With Me?

“Oh Lydia.”

Her two best friends threw themselves at her as soon as she got to school the next day. 

“Thank God you’re alright.” Bertha squeezed her into a hug. “Thank you for standing up for me, but you nearly got into some serious trouble!”

“Yeah.” Prudence cried out and attached herself to the goths other side. “That Claire is _crazy_.”

“Tell me about it.” Bertha groaned. “It still confuses me to this day how she kept herself on the top when everyone in school practically hates her.”

Lydia chuckled softly. “Thanks for worrying about me guys, but if we don’t hurry up we’ll be late for class.”

The trio linked arm as they laughed and made their way to school. Claire’s gaze followed them and steamed in pure rage. She vowed silently that Lydia Deetz would get exactly what was coming to her.

* * *

The day drawled on by for the goth teen. She was much quieter after noticing the entire student body giving her looks. Some were of awe, which left her flattered, and some were of confusion. The girl decided to keep her head low for the time being, at least till the hype died down.

In one of her classes she couldn’t help but daze in and out. The lecture was absolutely _boring_ , and one of her classmates actually fell asleep behind her. Lydia sighed and looked out the big window. The birds were flying off in a V shaped pattern in the sky, _surely to find warmer weathers,_ she thought to herself. Speaking of climates, the cold was picking up quickly. November was over and then there’s Christmas, after that, New Year. 

She blinked in mild surprise at how time flew by. A month has passed since her birthday. Beetlejuice and herself were slowly starting to become friends. Still, she only knew a handful of things about him – like his apparent affinity towards music. That really threw her off balance. The night she found out she kept asking him to play because it fascinated her. She never got to learn how to play an instrument before, instead she used most of her time taking and developing pictures.

Beetlejuice had told her that was a talent in itself, considering how well she took them. She had thanked him for the compliment but she stayed humble and told him there was still a lot she needed to learn. He had humoured her then, playing a little bit on an old ukulele. The girl wondered if he would ever be able to gather up the courage to play the piano her family had left to collect dust in the living room. Technically it was far from dusty thanks to Barbara constantly needing to clean – but still unused so it might as well be dusty. Perhaps he could teach her one day.

It was much later during the one hour class that she realised instead of taking down notes she had doodled a small black and white snake at the corner of her pager. She felt her cheeks grow hot and folded the paper to form a triangle in an attempt to cover it. Why did she cover it though unless it had more meaning than she intended, shaking her head she left the corner folded up and tried again to pay attention. 

Lunch came and she found herself without her two best friends. Prudence was called in for an unexpected student council meeting with the members of the Arts and Designs club which Bertha was a part of. Lydia waved them off as they left, leaving her alone in the hallway. Sighing to herself again she picked up her lunch and decided to eat at the library. Specific foods were allowed (in designated area of course), such as sandwiches and drinks, but anything with a strong odour or bigger than a regular sized lunch box was out of the question.

Lydia nodded towards the old librarian when she entered. “Hello.” She greeted. 

The elder lady smiled a sweetly behind her soft pink cat eye spectacles. “Hello to you too my dear. Alone for lunch today?”

“Yeah, my friends both have meetings.” She explained.

The woman nodded understandingly. “Must be because the _ball_ is just around the corner.” She shot Lydia a cheeky grin. “Do you have a date?”

Lydia was about to say no, until she remembered him. She blushed and shook her head. 

“No.”

The Librarian held the cheeky smile but nodded none the less. With that, Lydia left the front desk and wandered around the many rows of books. 

The Winter Ball was just around the corner, the old lady was right. It was a dance that the ‘Miss Shannon’s School for Girls’ and the ‘Briarwood Academy for Boys’ held in one of the chosen auditoriums. They had started this tradition since way back when the schools were first built, strictly for the junior and seniors only. 

Lydia hadn’t attended the last years one, but now she was debating if she should. It was her last year as a student there anyway. Finally finding a seat at the far corner of the library, she dropped her bag and made herself comfortable. She pulled out her lunch which consisted of a hearty chicken sandwich and potato wedges, carrot, cucumber and celery slices with a ranch sauce. Slipping into a better position she took her sketch book and pencils out as well.

Munching on her sandwich slowly she tried to imagine what the ball would be like this year. Last year Prudence and Bertha went with two other boys as their date. They had gushed on and on about it during school the next week. Lydia smirked and picked up her pencil to begin her sketch. _If_ she did go to the ball this year, she would need a dress. Creating one wasn’t a problem, she had many base gowns in her closet from past halloween costumes that she could revamp. 

Red. Yes, it would have to be red. Red like the blood that dripped out of Sleeping Beauty’s finger when she pricked herself, red like the lips of Snow White…

_Red like the wedding gown you wore during your marriage?_

Lydia shook herself to rid of the memory. She bit the insides of her cheeks but continued to sketch either way. Maybe she could make it look a little more different. 

After some time and a sandwich, she ended up with a design for a dress. It was a ball gown shape, with a sweet heart neck line and ruffled sleeves that fell off loosely over the shoulders. She liked it very much. 

_I’ll have to add a few more details of course…_ Lydia mentally went through her box of fabric and started to separate the ones she would need. She also had a box of crystals and beads that Delia had given her for her birthday years ago. The girl smiled at herself, quite pleased with the plan she had in mind.

Would she be going alone? She thought of all the boys she knew from Briarwood Academy, but couldn’t find anyone she wanted to go with as a date. Lydia brought her pencil to her chin and stared at the gown she drew. _If_ she did have a date, it would be really cool to match.

Before she could stop herself she lost the battle to her hands as they glided across the paper with a mind of its own. He’d have a long tailcoat suite, a vest to match and a button down shirt. He’ll need something red just to tie back in to her dress, but maybe something else to make him unique all on his own. 

She wasn’t really paying attention to what she was doing but in the end she realised she had been drawing stripes all over the suit. There was a beetle brooch just under his silk tie, and the model’s hair seemed to defy gravity. 

Her eyes grew wide with embarrassment. Hastily she closed her sketch book and stuffed it back into her backpack. Glancing at the wall clock she realised she only had 30 minutes left before break was over, so she decided to finish her lunch and maybe get some air before heading back to class.

* * *

The last bell rang for the day, dismissing all its students from educations hold.

“Attention! Attention students from Junior and Senior years, please report to the gymnasium in 5 minutes.” Miss Shannon’s nasally voice poured through the PA system just before anyone could get out of class. 

Lydia gathered her things and made her way along with all her other classmates to the gym. There was excited chatter all around her, and squealing that got her to roll her eyes.

 _Girls… Am I right?_ The goth cleared her throat to covered a smile noticing that it sounded way too much like Beetlejuice.

After a few minutes, everyone was seated on the benchers. Below them stood the Principal, and the student council. Prudence waved up at her. Lydia returned with a small wave of her own. 

Miss Shannon scanned the crowd before clearing her throat. “As you all know, the annual Winter Ball is just around the corner.” More muffled squealing. “We expect everyone to attend, as this is a fundraiser for charity.”

Yes, Lydia did not in fact attend the last years ball but she donated anyway. The money they got would be sent to the local orphanage and other school projects, after all, everyone in these schools were well off. The goth leaned forward and rested her chin on an open palm. 

The principal started talking about the details; venue, catering, time, etc. Lydia tried her best to listen, but all she could think of was the red dress and a sly toothy grin. The idea both excited and scared her at the same time. It would make on hell of an experience though, that was for sure.

“And now the student councils will be explaining the themes and programs.” Miss Shannon concluded.

Prudence and another girl started to hand out flyers to everyone as the president of the council started to speak. 

“Hello girls!” The preppy representative greeted with more energy than a toddler. “So this years ball will be held in Peaceful Pines Auditorium, and the theme picked out will be ‘Under the Stars’.”

They started talking about the bands that would be performing, and the suitable types of dresses allowed. Lydia droned out again thinking if she should add the black gemstones from her collection to her dress – would he mind if she would add them to his suit –

 _I’m thinking too much about this…_ she said catching herself, I mean, he could also not be interested in all this fancy stuff. The girl giggled despite herself as she imagined the look of disgust that would replace his features if she asked. She didn’t want to miss out though, so might as well try. 

Worse case – he says no.

With that she came home with butterflies in her stomach and frogs jumping in her throat. 

* * *

“Lydia darling!” Delia’s voice rang through the house like a large bell. “How was school?”

The woman rushed up to the girl and squeezed her tight. No one could blame her worrying since the last time Lydia came home, she was beaten up. 

Delia had on an artist’s hat as well as apron, Lydia could only decipher that her mother was making art again.

“It was the usual.” She replied dryly. 

Delia looked down and saw a paper clutched loosely in Lydia’s hand. She squealed with delight. “Is that what I think it is?”

Lydia sighed and handed the paper. “Yeah.”

Barbara came in and greeted the goth with same enthusiasm as her mother, albeit with a little more grace. 

“Oh honey, this is wonderful. Will you be attending this year?” The ghost woman asked.

“I was contemplating on it.” The girl answered truthfully.

Delia squealed again, and this time Barbara joined. Lydia narrowed her eyes playfully at them. 

“You make me regret saying that.” She started. “Anyway it’s been a long day.”

The women let her go and resumed what they were doing before she arrived.

Closing her bedroom door behind her, Lydia dropped her black school back and fell ungracefully on her bed. She stretched her arms up, revelling in the softness of her sheets till the memory of last night resurfaced. 

She got up and walked to her mirror. Being slightly late that morning she didn’t have time to check up on the bruise on her back. As she unbuttoned her shirt in front of the mirror, she held her breath expecting it to look horrible. Swiftly turning around to check – she was surprised it had actually gotten smaller, and the colour wasn’t too angry looking as it was the night before. 

“Ghosts could heal…?” She spoke aloud, feeling a pulse on the finger with a ring on it. 

“Nah that’s just me.” A voice rasped behind her. 

Hastily she covered her front and glared at the disembodied voice. Though before she could utter another word, he silenced her with one of his own. 

“I can’t see you.” He said, materialising by her bed with a blind fold over his eyes and an absolutely mischievous smirk playing on his lips. 

Lydia groaned and walked up to him. She slapped his chest. “You are terrible.”

“I know.” He answered with a toothy grin. “Drives the ladies crazy, and they love it.”

The girl slipped into a pair of comfortable cotton shorts and an oversized dark purple hoodie. She exchanged her white knee high skirt with black ones that stopped on the middle of her thighs. 

“You can look now.” She told the ghost as she crawled up to her bed. 

The blind fold disappeared as soon as she blinked.

“So what was all the commotion downstairs babes?” He asked nonchalantly as he drifted across her room in a lazy manner. 

“Oh it’s about this charity ball that my school’s hosting.” Lydia replied distractedly. She fished out her sketchbook and opened a new page to finish on her gowns details. 

Beetlejuice watched her at the corner of his eye as he laid on his palms in mid air. “A ball you say.” He said in a mock British accent.

Lydia suppressed a laugh and continued on sketching. Suddenly a tiny BJ appeared on her paper. 

“Woah, you can really work it.” The demon ghost commented as he looked at her newest gown design. 

“BJ,” Lydia laughed openly this time. “Get out of my sketch pad. I’m trying to focus here. The ball is just around the corner.”

The spectre noted to himself that making her laugh was quickly becoming a favourite pastime – of course nothing beats making people scream. 

He vanished from her current work, so she thought he was gone from her book.

“ _Oh la la_ , who do we have here?”

She gasped and hurriedly turned the page to her previous sketches during the day. The girl flushed with embarrassment and horror as he stared at the suit design she made of him. 

“Say,” Beetlejuice noticed of course, the hair was a dead giveaway. “This kinda looks like me babes.” He smirked up at her. “Is there sumthin’ ya wanna ask me?”

Lydia looked up at the ceiling and tried to calm herself. She was going to ask but this wasn't how she imagined it would go.

“I was thinking about the boys from Briarwood Academy… but the idea with going with any one of them didn’t sit well with me.” She admitted quietly to the tiny spectre drifting across her sketch pad. 

Beetlejuice appeared in front of her with a puff of smoke and a smug smile. His sharp tooth poked out as he leered at her. Lydia felt a blush creeping down her neck and quickly looked away. 

“So?” He egged her on. 

The goth huffed, might as well own up to it. “Would you accompany me to the dance next Friday?”

Beetlejuice pulled out a journal from his breast pocket and a pair of rimless glasses juiced itself into existence on the bridge of his nose. 

“Well let’s see, I’ve got a haunting at 3, battle of the fists with Scuzo at 5, the circus of freaks came to town just last night and asked me to MC at 7.” He listed off his To-Do-List.

Lydia threw her hands up in defeat. “Beej!” She whined. He looked up and saw the corner of her lips twitch up.

He threw the journal over his shoulder and gave her another toothy grin. “I’m all yers babe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew that was a handful to write. If you're enjoying the story so far please don't forget to leave a kudos or a comment :) I'd appreciate it a lot. Thanks!
> 
> Until next time, my dear readers.


	8. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers! I apologize for the delay on posting the next chapter. It's here now and with any luck I'll have the next one posted on time :) (Here's me hoping) 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

Beetlejuice _is_ capable of feelings, unlike popular belief. Sure most of the time its anger, jealousy, sadness, definitely hatred, and of course lust – but feelings none the less. Rarely, _very_ rarely, however, has he ever felt anything close to something positive. Like for example; the situation with the one and only Lydia Deetz.

The demon ghost didn’t expect her to really understand, but the damn 14 year old actually related to him on a whole other level. Sure she was young, naive and so easy to manipulate but that fire that burned in her eyes – he has tasted those flames when she used his own tactics against him.

Lydia Deetz was a force to be reckoned with.

Then Juno had to come in and crash the party. Getting her eaten though was something he didn’t plan out all too well. His mind was going into overdrive as soon as she threw him out the front door and into sandworm territory. A sense of protectiveness held him, it forced him to come back and actually save the losers – and _oh_ when Lydia had smiled at him with gratefulness he knew he would do it all over again in a heart beat. 

Of course she was just 14 then, a mere kid in his eyes.

“But she’s _not_ 14 anymore.” A woman’s voice poured out of the mirror the ghost was looking at. 

Beetlejuice was leaning on a post in front of a full length Victorian mirror with a frown on his face.

“I can see that Ginge.” He replied dryly.

Ginger, the _tap dancing spider_ – as they dubbed her back when she was alive due to her long skinny legs – shot him a sideways smirk. Behind her stood a tall and lean man holding a dumbbell, counting in French as he worked off his dead body’s muscle. 

“Well Juno gave you the go for it.” The dead woman told him in a nonchalant voice. “I’d like to meet her some day.”

“Lydia?” Beetlejuice scoffed. “Yeah, if by some miracle I could take her to the Neitherworld, sure.”

“You don’t seem very happy _mon ami_.” Jacques dropped his weights and peered in closer to the mirror.

The spectre sighed into his palms as he dragged it across his face. “What was I thinking? I said yes to a stupid school dance.”

His two compatriots blinked and looked at each other, mildly confused.

“Beetlejuice, you said that you could be thrown in the…” Ginger gulped at the place her mind imagined. “The place not even ghosts want to end up in, and you’re questioning your reasons now?” 

“ _Oui_ , as much as we despise your pranks Beetlejuice, we do not wish for you to end up in such a place.” Jaques looked at him forlornly. 

“This could help,” The dead woman said. “You can woo her into liking you enough with this opportunity.”

“Is this manipulating?” Jaques asked innocently. 

Ginger shook her head. “I don’t think so… she knows the whole situation doesn’t she B?”

Beetlejuice leaned in further onto the post and shrugged. “She doesn’t know about the ‘throwing me to where ghosts don’t want to go’ part.”

The dancers eyes grew wide. “What? It’s no wonder she’s taking her time!”

“Let her take her time.” He grumbled back in response. “I don’t want a pity fest, especially not from those _losers_.” Beetlejuice spat out the word ‘ _pity_ ’ as if it was the most disgusting thing in the world.

Jacques and Ginger frowned. “You could die. Permanently this time Beetlejuice.” 

He didn’t answer them. 

After a while of silence, they decided to go back to the topic of the upcoming dance. The dancer suggested he brush up on some of his moves, while the French body builder commented on his outfit of choice. When their time was up the call ended. They said their goodbyes, and the mirror fogged up once more before clearing back. Beetlejuice looked at his worn down state that stared back at him, thinking why on earth he cared. 

* * *

Lydia hummed to herself as she slid another row of fabric into the sewing machine. She had found a simple black dress that had just the right shape for the gown design in mind. All she needed to do was add in a hoop skirt to make it flare up, and then it’s all ruffles and lace. The beading work would take time, but her two mothers agreed to help her so it would be on time for the day of the ball. 

The thought of going with Beetlejuice made the butterflies dance in her stomach again. She hadn’t expected him to say yes, and neither did her family. 

“So will you two be matching?” Barbara asked as she placed another bead on the bodice of the gown. 

Lydia contemplated on her answer a while. “Well I’m not sure… I sort of designed something but I doubt I have time to make it.”

“You could show it to him and maybe he could juice up something similar.” The ghost suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea.” The goth smiled at her godparent, and then continued on sewing the fabrics together. 

Delia had a mannequin pulled into her room to make it easier for the girl.

“I’m still surprised he agreed.” Her stepmother voiced as she hauled in another type of fabric that would be used to volumize the dress.

“Well he isn’t like how he used to be.” Barbara noted. 

“4 years can change a person you know.” Lydia spoke up. “Though it does make me curious…”

“Curious about what babes?” The ghost of her thoughts materialised beside her. 

“We were talking about you.” The ghost woman told him.

Delia nodded and stifled a laugh at his confused face. Beetlejuice turned to Lydia with a raised brow.

“All bad things I hope.” He teased.

“Oh.” Lydia laughed and nodded her head. “Absolutely _terrible_ things Beej.”

“Perfect!” He beamed broadly at them, making the two older women chuckle and shake their heads. 

Lydia’s stepmother cleared her throat. “So, humour me BJ, why did you agree to go with Lydia? You don’t seem like the formal-gathering-type.”

“Caught me red-handed Mrs. D.” He smirked at her showing off his now very red hands, which earned him a sarcastic eye roll.

Lydia swatted his shoulder playfully. 

“Alright alright.” He mocked a sad excuse of a surrender. “It ain’t my thing but it’s a party! And I love me a party.”

“Of course.” Barbara groaned. “Please promise us no fooling around. I swear BJ, if I find out – you’re sandworm chow.”

For a split second he was serious, it made Lydia even more eager to know that side of him, but quickly as it came, it melted away to his regular mischievous grins. He saluted and disappeared like a Cheshire cat, leaving behind a low chuckle.

“I don’t know what you see in him Lydia.” Delia said exasperated. 

* * *

That night Beetlejuice was picked up by Juno herself. The old woman had explained that considering the circumstances, the spectre was allowed this brief moment to accompany Lydia to the event – under a few conditions. One of which was to undergo a procedure that would further withhold his powers and abilities, for the safety of Lydia and those around. They were able to exchange an awkward farewell, before the two ghosts slipped into the fireplace and vanished. 

The goth couldn’t sleep both from the excitement and the curiosity, maybe a little worry, of what they would do to him. If she had known it would be complicated to take him out then she wouldn’t have considered it in the first place. The concerned part surprised her, she didn’t expect to be concerned for his safety. She certainly wasn’t when she pushed him off the roof. Lydia cringed at the memory. The goth wanted to take it back, but she knew she couldn’t. Instead she sighed and sat up on her bed.

Her room was dark. A pale ribbon of moonlight slipped passed the heavy curtains, creating rectangular patterns on her floor. The girl absentmindedly twisted the ring that was resting on her ring finger. It was glowing again but the glow was dull. She wondered why it started thrumming and vibrating after many years of it being stagnant – of course the answer was simple. She deduced that somehow with Beetlejuice back, the ring is reacting to his presence, every time the ghost would be near it would flash with energy, warming up her insides like drinking a hot beverage. 

Right now it was cold. Lydia pondered about the process he was going through at that very moment.

_Is it going to hurt?_

_Would it leave any permanent damage?_

She shook her head in hopes of dissuading the thoughts. Settling back in the comfort of her covers she twisted the ring again and chewed her bottom lip. 

_Are you okay Beej?_

Her ring started to warm up, making a sense of charge flow into her body and calming her mind. It was as if it was telling her that there was nothing to worry about. It made her feel a little dizzy. She wondered if the feeling was all in her head, but she couldn’t bring herself to care if she imagined it or not. The thought eased her concerns and she was able to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was satisfying for now because the ball chapter will be coming up soon! Please leave a comment or kudos if you're liking it so far. And I shall see you guys in the next installment!


	9. Spiders and Beetles

Lydia, Bertha, and Prudence decided to go out for some last-minute shopping. A cold December chill bit through the air and prickled their nose and cheeks as they walked down the path leading to the mall. It wasn’t snowing yet, but the goth thought it wouldn’t be too long from now. Her two best friends were chatting up enthusiastically amongst themselves, while she lingered a few steps behind twirling the ring on her finger.

Beetlejuice had yet to come home, but they did receive word from Juno that everything was going fine on her end, and that he would make it on time. Still, they didn’t know exactly what was truly going on.

“I _need_ to buy those dangly earrings to match the dress Pru.” Bertha said with an exaggerated flare. “Otherwise the whole look will be incomplete.”

“Okay, let’s head to the accessories department.” Prudence replied. 

The store was filled with sparkling jewellery on every display case. Bertha wasted no time in rushing to the closest one and picking up the diamond earrings for closer inspection. Prudence took her time, slowly looking through the pearls that beamed and reflected its sheen on the glass. Lydia on the other hand just passed by the rows of precious stones, none of them really caught her attention anyway.

“Hello Miss,” An attendant smiled brightly at the goth. “Would we be able to interest you in any specific jewellery?”

Lydia bit the inside of her cheek, knowing awfully well that she didn’t really need anything as of the moment. But one look at her companions told her that she would be somewhat alone for a good hour, so why not join in on the fun. She looked back at the attendant and smiled.

“Yes, do you possibly have anything dark?” Lydia asked. 

The woman seemed pleased with her answer and ushered her further into the store. Emeralds and rubies started to glisten in the goths peripheral vision. The sets took on a royal and vintage style. Dark amethysts surrounded by white diamonds gleamed under the bright lights, tempting her to take a look.

“We’ve got them in all shapes, cuts and sizes Miss.” The attendant spoke as she guided Lydia around the store. “Would you be buying for yourself?”

Just then she remembered the brooch she had thought up in her sketch many days ago. It would be near impossible to find something similar, unless it was customised for her specifically. 

“No, actually I’m buying for… someone else. Male.” She didn’t know what to call Beetlejuice, her _acquaintance? Friend? … Husband?_ The last one made her cheeks flush with colour. 

The woman smiled and nodded. “Of course, and what shall it be today?” She asked as she slipped behind the counter.

“A brooch.” The goth settled on not thinking too much about it.

“I’ll be right back.” She left the girl for a few moments and came back with a velvet box. 

The woman placed it gently on the counter and opened it to reveal multiple brooches. There was a silver owl in one corner with dark lapis lazuli eyes that twinkled like it knew a secret. Another was a deep garnet gem encased in a gold frame, flourished with accent designs that looked French. One caught her eye , it was tucked in the far right corner.

She couldn’t believe it. It was an Egyptian scarab beetle.

The attendant followed her line of sight and picked it up.

“Good eye Miss.” She complimented. “It’s made with white gold and black zircon stones.”

It was simple in design, but it would fit him so well. Lydia chewed on her bottom lip wondering if he would appreciate it or not. 

“Lydia!” Her thoughts were suddenly shattered with the voices of her two best friends. They gestured her to hurry and catch up with them. Lydia held up a hand signalling them to give her a few minutes.

Then turning back at the woman she cleared her throat and said, “I’ll take it.”

* * *

The next day Lydia woke up to the sound of her alarm. She groaned and turned off the beeping. It was a Saturday, so there was no school – but she also knew it was the day of the ball.

The thought of it made her sit up, feeling the butterflies flutter in her stomach. A rapping sounded at her door caught her attention. 

“Oh Lydia.” Her stepmother sang. “Breakfast is ready, and we’ve got a long day of preparations ahead!”

Lydia sighed. “Yeah I’m up.”

Breakfast was good as always, Barbara had made waffles with cranberry sauce. Her two ghost godparents greeted her with enthusiasm when she entered the kitchen.

“Good morning Lydia, ready for tonight?” Adam asked.

“I guess so.” She replied unsure as she chewed on her waffles. 

“Pumpkin,” Her dad started, putting down the newspaper he had on hand. “I think you’ll enjoy.”

Lydia smiled. “Thanks dad.”

The morning came and went. Delia had planed an entire days schedule, from mani-pedis to hair and make-up and of course last was putting on the dress. It was an odd moment for the two ladies, both (step)mother and child were not used to such activities, they had moments where they somewhat bonded but nothing to this extent. 

It was fun, Lydia had to admit, it felt good being able to spend time with a mother figure.  
Barbara had joined in as well after lunch, offering to paint her nails while Delia worked on the curls in her hair. The house was filled with laughter. Though somewhere in the middle of it all she felt a knot start to form in the pit of her stomach. Lydia knew there was nothing to really worry about but she hoped and prayed that the night would go on without a hitch.

Finally everything was ready. Her hair had been done in a beautiful 19th century England up-do with a few curls framing her delicate face. Maroon crystals were added to her hair so when she moved around it would glimmer. The gown she had designed was exceptional. Black tulle, silk, and laces all stitched together to form a big bell shape, it flowed all the way down to the floor. A dark burgundy fabric sat comfortably on top of her hips, bunched up from behind with a bow which reached the tips of her dress. 

The sweet heart neckline fitted her figure perfectly, and the long sheer sleeves fell flawlessly off her shoulders. Her mothers silver locket was nestled above her heart and completed the entire ensemble. 

Lydia was still in her room when the fireplace started to glow again. But she knew he was here. She _felt_ rather than saw Beetlejuice as he entered her home. The ring beamed brightly and thrummed with energy that pulsed rhythmically from her finger tips to her whole body. She allowed herself to close her eyes and take in the moment of pure magic that seemed to flow through her. 

The goth looked up at herself in her vanity mirror, a dark princess stared back.

“Lydia darling.” Delia knocked on her door softly before opening it. “It’s time.”

Lydia nodded and walked out with her stepmother. Below the stairs she heard low whispers and murmuring. She could make out her family’s voices as well as Juno’s. 

As she walked down the stairs the talk abruptly stopped. Her father was the first one to catch her eye. He was in awe and smiled proudly at her. The Maitland’s were next, Barbara looked like she was about cry, but Adam was way ahead of her wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. 

“Sweetheart you look absolutely beautiful.” Her ghostly godparents complimented and pulled their goddaughter into a tight embrace.

“You look gorgeous pumpkin.” Her father said next, with Delia hanging on his arm with a wide smile and a camera on hand.

Juno cleared her throat and she stepped into view with someone behind her. 

“I am assuming you’ll be home before midnight?” The older lady inquired as a puff of smoke escaped her neck.

Lydia nodded. “Yeah, the event ends around 10.” The knot in her stomach tightened as the older lady stepped aside for the person behind her to make himself known. 

Both Lydia and Beetlejuice let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding as soon as their eyes met. Dark chocolate browns met hazel blues and suddenly the world ceased to exist.

In front of the girl stood a younger Beetlejuice, no more than a few years older than her. His hair was tamed and swept back into a low ponytail tied with a single black ribbon. He was dressed in an old vintage suit, the tailcoat hanging a little longer than their modern design. It was vividly black, the dress shirt inside a pristine white, and his vest was a dark plum color. The mans trousers were fitting and patterned with his signature black and white stripes, and his black shoes were polished till it shone.

It was Lydia that took the first step closer to him. She noticed all the moss was gone, and the dark circles around his eyes were lightened. He almost looked… _alive_.

Suddenly they were very aware of their proximity and looked away. Beetlejuice coughed and held his hand out revealing a purple velvet box. 

“Fer you.” He said, as he pulled on his collar nervously.

Lydia opened it and found a black spider brooch. She laughed lightly at the irony. Then fishing out a present of her own she lifted it up to the spectre.

“I got this for you.” She said bashfully. “As a thank you for putting up with my request.”

Beetlejuice pulled out the scarab beetle and laughed. 

“It’s perfect babes.” He said and placed it strategically in the middle of his tie.

Lydia on the other hand had placed hers on the dip of her sweetheart neckline. They were a perfect match.

“Well if you two are done ogling each other.” Juno chastised mildly and opened the door. “I believe you’ve got a ball to attend.”

“Right.” Beetlejuice offered his arm which Lydia took graciously. “It’s showtime!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beetlebabes for life! And yeah, you've been warned that it's a slow burn. Though it makes the union all the more sweeter wouldn't you agree?
> 
> Anyway – I hope you enjoyed that! BJ is younger now, and almost human – honestly, what do you guys think so far? Comment below, and/or leave a kudos, it will be greatly appreciated. :) Lastly, we all know what's coming next. So stay tuned for next Monday as we dive into the Winter Ball's events. 
> 
> Until next time dear readers.


	10. Under The Stars

The festivities were already in full swing when they had arrived. Lydia could hear the classical music and laughter pouring from the windows.

Beetlejuice let out a low whistle. “They did good in choosin’ a venue babe.” 

The building was wide and designed elegantly in a modern fashion. The tall glass windows were lit up from outside and you could just barely see the silhouettes of people dancing. The goth beauty clutched her coat closer to herself as they neared the door, it didn’t go unnoticed by the specter.

He had her small little hand tucked in his arm, escorting her like the ‘gentleman’ he was. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Lydia took a deep breath. “Just nervous.” She exhaled. “I — this, isn’t my sort of scene. But it’s my last year here so...”

Beetlejuice nodded. “I gotcha. Look at it this way, ya ain’t alone.” He shot her a lopsided grin.

The girl smiled and tightened her hold. “Alright.” 

As soon as they arrived a man dressed in all black shuffled his way to them. Lydia gave her invite and he took it along with their coats.

The ballroom was spectacular. Eight huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling, each one lit with electric candles surrounding its multiple rims. The crystals reflected the light and casted a magical glow across the whole room. The walls were decorated with elaborated paintings, all in line of the theme of starry night sky, each one more magnificent than the next. The ceiling was covered in a dark navy blue satin fabric, speckled with white dust. Marble tiles encased the floors, and a low satisfying ‘clink’ could be heard when you make a step. 

“Whoa...” Lydia whispered to herself.

Beetlejuice smirked and guided her towards the party. He caught a few stares eyeing his date from other males that were around. Suddenly he felt possessive, which wasn’t a first for the dead demon but it definitely was a first that the object of his possessiveness was a human girl.

 _‘Why the hell do I even care?’_... he questioned himself. 

“Lydia! Over here!” A voice called out over the crowd. Beetlejuice turned his attention towards it and saw a small group of individuals dining casually on a round white cloth covered table. The candles in the middle flickered as him and his date approached, casting the shadows of the flower centrepiece to dance across the surface. 

“Hello.” Lydia spoked up on their behalf. “Everyone, this is BJ.”

Beetlejuice gave them a slight bow and his famous lopsided smirk.

The two ladies beamed at him. The spectre noted; one had her brunette hair done in an elegant bun embellished with silver ribbons that cascaded tastefully behind her. Her gown was a deep blue with white crystals clustered at the hem, spreading itself thinly as it went higher to her waist where a silver belt rested snugly.

The spectre offered his hand and the girl obliged.

“Bertha.” She said. 

Beetlejuice softly brushed his lips across her knuckles. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Bertha looked about ready to squeal. “Pleasure is all mine.” She breathed out, and giggled.

He let go of her hand with a smile and turned to the next female.

The second lady was clad in emerald green empire shaped dress. Layers of sheer fabric hung around her, each one a different length and colour to show it off equally. It took a moment but Beetlejuice made the connections – she was dressed as the _aurora borealis_.

“Prudence.” The girl said, smiling kindly at him. He offered the same mannerism he did to Bertha and ghosted his lips over her knuckles.

“Aurora Borealis, an intelligent choice.” He complimented, making the lady grin with pride.

“These are Stephen and Philip.” Lydia finished introductions. The men got up to shake his hand.

He then stood up straight and pulled a chair for Lydia to get seated on before taking a seat beside her while a waiter walked up to the table and served them their food and drink.

“So where do you go to school BJ?” Stephen asked, trying to make polite conversation as dinner was being served.

“Taking my courses abroad actually.” The lie slipped easily passed his lips.

“Oh I’m planning on going abroad too.” Philip joined. “What are you taking?”

Lydia sat quietly enjoying the scene unfolding before her. He was composed, and well-mannered – he almost seemed like a different person. She narrowed her eyes slightly trying to pick him apart. How can he suddenly act so collected when he was the _embodiment_ of destruction and chaos? Was it the changes he went through in the Neitherworld?

The girl stopped to chew her food a little more slowly. What _had_ he gone through down there? They never really talked about it, and what did they do to him to come out looking like this? His blonde hair was free from moss, and his skin looked soft. Dare she say, he looked handsome. Would he let her touch him to feel for herself? 

_Is it as soft as it looks?_

If this was all a disguise then it was one hell of a get-up. His normally pale lips were blushed pink and he had an alluring smile. How had she not noticed it before? It must be from all the dirt that had caked his features, but now she could clearly see it. Then she wondered, how would those pretty lips feel on hers?

_Wait –_

She’s never kissed anyone before. Would he take it slow?

_What?_

Would he be rough? Would he take control?

She blinked rapidly to steer her mind away from the thoughts.

He darted his tongue out to lick his lips and suddenly all she could think about was how he would taste.

Beetlejuice said something that made the whole table laugh but she wasn’t listening. Lydia dropped her fork and coughed. _What the actual hell?_ She scolded herself as Beetlejuice jumped into action, rubbing her back and offering a glass of water. The girl took it gratefully and wiped her mouth with a napkin. 

“You okay there Lyds?” He asked, worry clearly etched on his features. 

The goth felt her cheeks grow slightly warm and her heart fluttered at the notion. She laughed nervously and blamed her carelessness before excusing herself to use the comfort room. 

She didn’t head towards the comfort room though as soon as she got out. Instead with a hasty pace she passed by a few people who was hanging around the halls and slipped onto an open terrace. The night was chilly, and puffs of air escaped her lips but she was far from cold. Her heart rate thankfully started to go back to its normal pace. 

_God, what the hell just happened in there?_ She asked herself.

 _ **‘You thought he looked handsome and how it would feel like to run your fingers through his hair.’**_ Her inner muse chided blatantly.

 _No, no way,_ the girl refused to acknowledge it.

_**‘You were thinking of making out with him.’** _

_Damn you’re brutal._

**_‘It’s the truth and you know it.’_ **

Was she actually starting to harbour feelings for him? Since when? Lydia would usually pride herself for being one to look at a person’s soul rather than be moved by their outward appearance. She knew Beetlejuice was far from how a regular person should behave, but there was something in him that had lulled her into a sense of security.

He was the only one she knew who would understand her wholly. Although his actions were questionable most of the time, so far since his coming he’s been nothing but tolerable and if she could be so bold as to admit; enjoyable. He had a certain charm to his person that didn’t go unnoticed by the girl.

But since when has she started thinking about him _this_ way?

“ _Fuck me…_ ” Lydia let out a shaky breath. 

“I could.”

The voice startled her. She must’ve been so deep in thought she didn’t feel her ring thrumming with his energy. He looked at her with a relaxed smile and hooded eyes.

“If I had known all it took was a little bit of cleaning up for ya to get all _hot an’ bothered_ ,” he continued taking slow strides towards her. “I wouldda done it a long time ago babes.” The spectre whispered the last words into her ear making her shiver.

Lydia mustered up all the courage she had and pushed him away. 

“I am not hot and bothered.” She said, glaring at him. 

“Please.” He chuckled. “I saw the way you were starin’ at me Lyds.”

The goth blushed hard at the accusation and turned away.

“I was just curious as to how you came back looking the way you are right now.” Technically it wasn’t a lie, but either way, Beetlejuice didn’t take the bait.

He stood next to her, leaning on the railing.

“That’s for me to know, and you to keep your pink little nose out of.” He said.

She huffed and hugged herself. The cold was starting to get to her now.

“It,” She started, not really knowing how to ask. “It didn’t…”

“No.” He answered for her. “Didn’t hurt.”

Lydia bobbed her head slightly in understanding. 

“I felt you.” She said as she looked out into the open land in front of them. “I’m not sure how but the ring… call me crazy but I felt like it was telling me you were alright.”

Beetlejuice was silent for a while. Lydia glanced at him and saw that he had a contemplative furrow to his brows. She knew he wasn’t telling her something. Wether it was important or not though was up for debate.

“Let’s dance.” He said out loud.

The spectre held out his arm for her to take.

“You look like yer freezin’ and I rather not be the object of yer parents wrath when ya come back home with a runny nose or some other bullshit sickness.” He muttered an excuse.

Lydia laughed and took him up on his offer.

When they came back it was just in time for the orchestra to start their next piece. The pianist padded his fingers across the keys letting out a hypnotising melody. Just enough time for the dancers to make their way onto the marbled dance floor. The lights dimmed and surprisingly enough the white speckled dust on the satin covered ceilings started to glow.

Beetlejuice bowed low in front of her. “May I have this dance M’lady?” 

The girl curtsied elegantly, making her dress pool nicely around her frame. He held her right hand in his and brought his left on the dip of her waist – their eyes never leaving one another. As soon as the music started to pick up with the other instruments, Beetlejuice had already whisked them towards the middle of the floor. He held her close and gave his signature smirk before expertly leading her into a sophisticated dance of the waltz.

The spectre twirled, and dipped her in all the right moments. Lydia smiled brightly as they danced to the mesmerising music and atmosphere.

Her eyes sparkled spellbindingly under the lighting, making Beetlejuice unable to look away for even a second. The goths perfectly painted dark lips teased him every time a step required them to be mere inches from each others faces. How he wanted to nip those tantalising pouts. Unlike Lydia, Beetlejuice had no qualms in thinking about her sexually – but what ever little sanity and will he had left begged him not to _fuck_ this up. So he kept his distance.

Day by day they grew a little closer. Although he was a hard nut to open, Lydia was to some degree easier. He learnt that her curiousness had not been tamed since she was 14. She still went to places and did things normal girls her age wouldn’t dream of doing. He didn’t know which impressed him more; her adventurous spirit or the way she defied what was expected of her.

Coming back from his thoughts, Beetlejuice twirled her out of his grasp. Her ball gown’s crystals caught the light in such an exquisite manner that everyone around slowed down to witness their display. 

The spectre walked around her and slid his hands on her waist from behind. His left wrist touched hers and he brought her hand up, taking hold of her fingers and twirling her one last time before bringing the beauty back into his arms.

Lydia could’ve sworn they were the only two in the room as they danced. She barely caught the knowing smiles from her peers and other onlookers as Beetlejuice swayed them to the rhythm of the music. When it ended, she was light headed and giddy. 

“You’re good.” She remarked after their obligatory bow.

“And you're not so bad yourself.” He returned the compliment. 

As they walked back to the table they noticed Lydia’s friends still on the dance floor with their dates. Lydia didn’t feel like sitting down after that rush of adrenaline, so she opted to walk around the grounds.

“You’ll freeze babes.” Beetlejuice chuckled, before shrugging off his suit coat and pulling it over her small shoulders. 

Lydia gave him a thankful look. She noticed that the coat smelled earthy, like when you go outside after it had rained. The girl also picked up hints of tobacco, and then something else that was entirely just Beetlejuice.

She blushed and looked down as they walked in silence.

The garden behind the grand auditorium hall was lit by lamps. There was a gazebo on one end, and a maze next to it. The goth went straight for the maze, entranced by the rose bush that acted as its walls. 

“Why are you following me around?”

“No reason. I’d be bored ta death in there if ya left me alone.”

The girl hummed. “I’ve got a question.”

Beetlejuice nodded. “And I may have an answer. Depending on my mood.” He said winking at her.

Lydia rolled her eyes.

“Is this what you looked like before you… um, passed on?” She asked carefully, afraid she would scare him into closing up again.

The spectre held his hands behind his back and looked down. “Well, if what you mean is did I always look this _delicious_ then hell to the yes.”

Lydia burst out laughing at his choice of words, and Beetlejuice looked pleased to break off the tension.

“I’m slightly younger now than when I died.” He answered. “But essentially yup, this is it babes. My turn.”

The goth looked on ahead turning in all random directions with the maze. “Shoot.”

“I saw the way some of the blokes there were lookin’ at ya.” He started. “Why aren’t you datin’ any of ‘em?”

“Blokes?” Lydia stifled a giggle and shook her head. “Now I’m sure you’re from the UK. The _blokes_ there aren’t my type.”

“I’m guessing your type is dark and mysterious?”

“Not sure.” The girl answered. “I just know that preppy young boys aren’t what I’m in to. I’d like someone who shares the same interest as me… They don’t have to be goth but if we could understand each other on another level then…” She trailed off, her thoughts swimming around her head as she imagined someone like Beetlejuice.

Keyword here: _**like**_. 

However, there was not a soul Lydia had met who was like him. She felt the heat creeping up her cheeks again, but she pushed it down and cleared her throat. 

“So yeah.” She said finally. “No one as of yet.”

“Man babes.” Her partner sighed. “Yer standards are high.”

Lydia smirked.

“And what about you?” She asked, turning the tables around. “I’ll bet your new girlfriend misses you already.”

Beetlejuice clicked his tongue. “I’m hurt to know how low you think of me.” He said, mocking a look of hurt. “I haven’t been seeing nor have I touched any ladies after I got married to you.”

The girl slowed in her steps and looked at him in surprise. “Are you serious right now?”

He only shrugged in response. “Can’t say I blame ya though, I probably did give that impression, but I can’t do nothin’ while this ring is on yer finger.” 

As if to make a point he lifted her hand that wore his ring and brought it up to his lips.

“Neitherworld rules are a little more complicated, and coupled with the fact that my little wife is a _breather_.” He spoke low making a shiver run down her spine. 

She pulled her hand away from him. 

“Stop that.” Lydia said, not looking directly at the spectre.

“Stop what?” He arched a brow at the girl.

“ _That_.” She accused lightly and gestured randomly towards him.

It was his turn to look surprised. “I wish I could take credit but ya have me a loss babes. What on earth are you talkin’ about?”

There was a brief moment of tense silence between them. Beetlejuice’s blue eyes bore into her darker chocolate ones and saw a tiny sliver of fear. But what she was afraid of he didn’t know. She seemed as though she was looking for something desperately. Then her shoulders sagged and she gave out a deep sigh. 

“Never mind.” The girl shooed the discussion away tiredly. 

“No.” He took hold of her wrist. “I don’t want to drop the subject. What’s botherin’ you?”

Lydia bit her lip and it didn’t go unnoticed when Beetlejuice looked at the ministrations with hunger. Her cheeks heated up and she knew he was thinking of the same thing she was earlier that evening. 

Her ring glowed brightly in the shadows of the enclosed space. She felt the vibrations of his powers flowing through her body and pool into her core in an almost sinful way.

The girl placed her hand on his chest and pushed him away lightly.

“We should go back.” She whispered.

The ghost sighed and back away. He offered his arm like he did and walked her back to the ball. 

It went on as normal, polite (and boring to the spectre) conversations were exchanged. Her friends had asked him more about his history, but none caught him off guard. His conman traits peaked that night, and it left the crowd in amazement. When the goths ride arrived to bring them back home they exchanged goodbyes.

Later that evening Lydia tossed and turned in her bed. Her thoughts replayed the events of the evening over and over again. It was clear something was going on between them, but she wasn’t ready to admit it.

Was asking him to be her date a mistake? What was she thinking; asking the demon who wanted to bed her to go the dance as her _date_?

Lydia groaned in frustration and threw the covers above her head. 

_Just admit you like him,_ the voice in her head said. 

Did she really though? The girl questioned her sanity – _Am I actually falling for a demon?_ Talk about Stockholm syndrome, she snorted to herself. She knew what he wanted from her of course, nothing came without a price and she learnt that the hard way. If she gave in to those feelings she will most likely end up broken all over again.

“Oh mom,” she sighed helplessly. “I wish you were here.”

Things could either go well, or not – and she wasn’t ready for neither one of it. So for now the girl settled on keeping her little attraction a secret. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be real busy for this month – so I'll be changing my posting schedules. I'll still do my best to post twice a week. Anyway, what do you think of the long awaited chapter? Also just to note: because the theme of the ball was "Under The Stars", everyone's dress was night sky related. Lydia (although not mentioned) is the Blood Moon. :) I'm not sure if any of you know Star vs The Forces of Evil – but in that cartoon there is a legend that if two souls dance under the light of the blood moon, they will be bonded for life. ^_^ Take with that what you will.
> 
> Until next time!


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